


The Angel Of Hyperion

by pleasesupplymewithyourwahoos



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: AND HE HAS A SECREST IDENTITY, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Because someone had to do it, But It Gets Dark, Canon Non-Binary Character, Canon Trans Character, Childhood Friends, F/F, FOUND FAMILY BITCHES, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Frenemies, It's MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FIC and I MAKE THE RULES, Juno says acab, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Other, Peter is a rich boi, Peter is asian, Secret Identity, The Angel of Brahma is a superhero, Trans Peter Nureyev, Trans Rita, also, also buddy and vespa adopted the steel twins when they were like 7, also juno is an art student and a barista, also m'tendere speaks a lil chichewa, and because I said so, and my aunt is malawian, and there's a lot of it, because anjimile is malawian, ben and juno are desi, blows a kiss to the one percent, buddy is black and speaks spanish, buddy's allergies do not exist in this universe for both plot and fluff reasons, but it's like s3 juno and Peter doing season 1 stuff, but like, childhood enemies with a a shared incentive, for Nova Zolotovna, hE'S LITERALLY BASED ON CATWOMAN YOU GUYS, idk how to explain this fic just read it pls, in this house we love and appreciate Nova Zolotovna, in this house we love and respect Nova Zolotovna, it's literally all the tropes, it's not really relevant to the story but I hc jet as native american, it's right there - Freeform, no beta we die like mag, not really mentioned it's just important to me, nova is the only white person here, oh god there will be so much angst, ok the violence isn't really graphic, rita owns a coffee shop and studies fashion, sasha is also japanese, so I thought it best to tag anyways, soooo, sorry kabert, the kanagawa's are japanese, this is literally a superhero au, this is semi canon compliant?, vespa is latina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 58,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25974358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasesupplymewithyourwahoos/pseuds/pleasesupplymewithyourwahoos
Summary: “Who is the Angel of Hyperion?”Juno looked out the window, smiling fondly as, in a flash of white and blue, the Angel of Hyperion flew by.“He’s… certainly something, that’s for sure…”-Peter Ransom is a tired kid who became the youngest CEO in Hyperion City after his father was murdered. Peter Nureyev is the vigilante hero who killed Mag Ransom, he’s the Angel of Hyperion. Juno Steel is the art student (and heir to the Aurinko Crime Family) caught in the middle of it all.
Relationships: Alessandra Strong/Nova Zolotovna, Benzaiten Steel & Juno Steel, Buddy Aurinko & Juno Steel, Buddy Aurinko & Vespa Ilkay & Peter Nureyev & Rita & Jet Sikuliaq & Juno Steel, Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay, Cassandra Kanagawa & Cecil Kanagawa, Cassandra Kanagawa & Juno Steel, Cecil Kanagawa & Juno Steel, I'm speaking that tag into existence, Jack Takano/Jail, Juno Steel & Vespa (Penumbra Podcast), M'tendere & Jet Sikuliaq, M'tendere and Peter Nureyev, Mag & Peter Nureyev, Mick Mercury & Benzaiten Steel & Juno Steel & Sasha Wire, Mick Mercury/Benzaiten Steel, Min Kanagawa/Jail, Nova Zolotovna and Peter Nureyev, Peter Nureyev & Jet Sikuliaq, Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, Rita & Juno Steel, Rita/Sasha Wire, YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT - Relationship
Comments: 96
Kudos: 130





	1. Who is The Angel of Hyperion

**Author's Note:**

> some explanations of this universe:
> 
> -story takes place in AU 2020  
> -mag was the owner of Brahma Corp which is like apple but with more crime
> 
> the rest of the weird stuff will be explained in-universe at some point. Ready? enjoy!

Who is the Angel of Hyperion: The Man, The Myth, The Mystery:

**Original video by Cecil Kanagawa, adapted by Cassandra Kanagawa**

Recently my sister and I went door to door to answer the question that’s been on everyone’s mind for these last few weeks. As you know, Mayor Pilot Pereyra was recently re-elected, and they have never been shy about their anti-vigilante policy and mindset. To quote the Mayor directly: 

[VIDEO: A tall person with long black hair in a suit stands at a podium, as they speak to the crowd at a rally.]

_ “Hyperion’s resident vigilante, the so-called hero, the ‘Angel’, is nothing but a rabble-rouser, who’s trying to endanger our democracy by selling the needy a false idea of what the future holds. He’s not a martyr, he’s a menace.” _

[End VIDEO]

Ever since he popped up nearly 12 years ago, our city’s resident vigilante aka the Angel of Hyperion, has been a household name. From his daring heists in Uptown, to his large scale battles against superpowered foes from across the galaxy, to his outspoken stance against the powers-that-be, if there’s something going down in Hyperion City, you can bet the Angel will be there. However, despite having been such a regular figure in our lives, the city just can’t seem to reach a consensus on him. So, Cass and I took it upon ourselves to find out what our people truly think of our Angel.

We combed through the city’s archives and found some old polls and survey’s about vigilantes that were taken by the Hyperion Census Board. According to a 2008 survey, the same year that the Angel appeared on the public radar, 64% of adults and 36% of teenagers (ages 14-18) in Hyperion thought that the Angel should be tried in criminal court, for the murder of Mag Ransom. However, only a year later, after Peter Ransom had spoken out about the bombing that had been planned surrounding Mag’s death, the numbers dropped to 32% and 6% respectively.

Mag Ransom’s murder is, in and of itself, a completely different mystery. Peter Ransom revealed, in a landmark report, that his father had been involved in plans to cause an explosion in one of the many Brahma Corp factories. The young CEO, now 29, had held one of the most massive press conferences of the past decade within the first 12 months after his father’s death. He stated:

[VIDEO: A tall, lean man in a black suit and heeled boots stands at a table, addressing a crowd of reporters.]

_ It is not, as of this moment, entirely clear whether my father was trying to prevent or cause the explosion in the New Kinshasa factory. However, it is abundantly clear to me that corruption and deceit is rampant amongst the higher powers of Hyperion City. I implore the HCPD to drop all charges against the Angel Of Hyperion until more is known about the case and my father’s death. It is unfortunate but there is no footage of the incident itself so… _

[He pauses, looking physically pained]

_...there is no one in Hyperion except the Angel himself who can provide concrete proof for or against my father. I understand that this is a scary time for many of you, but I implore you to have patience in me and the company as we struggle to pick up the pieces and rebuild, ensuring a better Hyperion for you and for us all. _

[End VIDEO]

Whether or not it was intentional, the Angel had a large role in painting the young heir as a tragic hero. Thanks to his performance in the wake of the Ransom controversy and his efforts to dismantle crime and corruption amongst the richest of Hyperion, Peter Ransom is, and I quote, ‘the only 1 percenter that anyone with cognitive thinking skills should trust’. This came from a 2018 survey, and the comment is by a Ms. O’ Hara, who’s rent and health insurance is covered by Brahma Corp. The survey showed that 87% of Hyperion’s youth and 56% of older adults would choose to spare Peter Ransom if/when they ate the rich.

But enough about Ransom. Let’s address the elephant in the proverbial room. The Angel of Brahma was, quite recently, linked to the murder of my father Croesus Kanagawa. Many people claim that he had in fact murdered my father to steal the Death Mask of Grimpoteuthis. This is a lie, which I know because the rumor was spread by my cousin Lucio. To be honest, I’m rather biased towards the Angel, he’s the only reason my family has received justice, and I’d like to assure our audience that this is one crime he didn’t commit.

We recently went door to door to ask you, the average citizens of Hyperion City, what you think of our Angel. The answers may shock you!

[VIDEO: An old lady, blind in both eyes, holding several cats smile at the camera as she speaks]

_ This Angel fellow? Well, his methods may be a little out of the box, but he’s a good lad. Why, just the other day, he stopped a robbery on my street! He’d dropped the thief off at the HCPD, when I asked him to help me find my sweet Charlie. He was such a dear, took the time to help me find my kitty and he gave her a bath! He comes round for tea on weekends every now and then! _

[End VIDEO]

[VIDEO: Pilot Pereyra, sitting at their desk, annoyed, speaks to the camera]

_ I’m sure the city is well aware of my thoughts on the ‘Angel’. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, he’s a menace! He thinks he can run around with wings and a mask and that makes him better than the law? He’s just a figurehead of a movement that’ll never catch on. He’s jealous of the successful, so he drags them down with him. He besmirched poor Mag Ransom’s name, all because he wishes he had what Peter does. The only circumstance in which I’d want to see him, is if he’s turning himself in. _

[VIDEO: A group of swooning teenagers, a young girl speaks into the mic]

_ He’s a hero! _

[End VIDEO]

[VIDEO: An old man playing poker]

_ He’s a good for nothing [REDACTED FOR EXCESSIVE PROFANITY] _

[End VIDEO]

[VIDEO: A short young woman with dark skin, curly red hair and cat-eye glasses speaks to the camera while washing a cup. Behind her are a tall man and a short lady wearing a trenchcoat]

_ RITA: Well, I think we should let him be. The HCPD and their associates ain’t doing nothing to stop crime in this city, and I should know! I tried working for the HCPD! No, they ain’t the ones keeping our weakest citizens safe, they’re just sticking around to collect their creds from the government and the richest citizens of Hyperion. They aint gonna stop crime if they’re complicit in it. But the Angel, he has morals. He’s a lone wolf, and he gets stuff done. I’d trust with my life over the HCPD any day. _

[The tall man whistles, before speaking]

_ MICK: Damn… that was deep _

[The short woman shrugs]

_ RITA: I have multitudes _

[End VIDEO]

So, who is the Angel of Hyperion? Short Answer? We don’t know. Longer Answer? He’s our local hero, our friendly neighborhood helping hand, he’s a thief, a murder, a scoundrel and a hundred other things under the sun. The Angel of Hyperion is many things and the only thing we know for certain, is that no matter what his people say, or what the mayor thinks, he’s here to stay.

[VIDEO: The short woman’s friend, a short lady in a trenchcoat, looks out the window, smiling fondly as, in a flash of white and blue, the Angel of Hyperion flys by]

_ He’s… certainly something, that’s for sure… _

[End VIDEO]


	2. it's okay now...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perseus Shah finishes a heist and Peter Nureyev gets his last good night of sleep before facing his fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a m'tendere stan fic

_ 3 months earlier… _

Perseus Shah strolled leisurely across the roof of Rockridge Manor, tossing around a small bag of jewels. Unlike his victim, he wasn’t fooled by its small size. He knew that with this small parcel he’d be feeding at least 200 children this week. All in all, a successful heist. 

Blair Rockridge… He didn’t have anything against her personally, really. But she’d been throwing her money in all the wrong places, and… well, Perseus needed this. A guilt-free heist, before he had to answer to Miasma. He didn’t have a choice, he’d told himself, he was being forced to work with her. But he knew, that if he’d been just a little bit more careful with his secret identity, this could’ve been avoided. He didn’t know what she wanted, but it had to be something bad if she was turning to him. 

Perseus jumped from rooftop to rooftop, letting his long holographic wings stretch out behind him. Over these past few years, he’d gotten used to treating them like fifth and sixth limbs. Flying like he did now, it was like the world couldn’t touch him, and for a moment he was just the Angel of Hyperion, floating high above the city. It was sort of ironic really… The Angel of Hyperion. The first thing he’d ever done as the angel was kill a man, what kind of angel did that make him?

He sighed. The Angel didn’t know about Perseus Shah or whatever new identity he was going to come up with next week, but right now, Peter Nureyev needed to get home.

It was late, later than his heists usually ended, and as he flew across the city, he couldn’t help but wonder how many people were awake to watch him fly across Hyperion. He wondered if any of the people who sang his praises, whether as Peter Ransom or as The Angel of Brahma were watching him now. He thought about the little child whose mother had lost him in the park the other day, or the little girl who’s cat had gotten stuck in a tree. Were they looking up at the night sky with him? Before he could contemplate that any further, he found himself on the roof of the Ransom Estate.

He popped in through a window, and as his suit folded up into his headset, pulled out a jug of milk from the kitchen fridge. He’d barely began to pour himself a cup when he heard a voice that made him jump.

“What have I told you about getting home so late?”

“Jesus, M’tendere,” He shuddered, as the old engineer came to stand at the table with him, “Give me a warning next time.”

“I’ll start giving you a warning when you get home at a reasonable hour.” They opened the fridge to grab themselves a drink. “Anything interesting tonight?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Is the suit in good shape?"

“Yup.”

“No injuries?”

“Nope.”

“Did you eat a wholesome lunch?”

“M…” He groaned, as they slapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s very important for such an active young man as yourself to get 3 good meals per day!”

“I was under the impression that you weren’t my mother?”

“I’m not, that’s Jet’s job.” They deadpanned, as Peter chuckled. “Go to sleep, Pete. Get some rest. I’ll handle the night affairs.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure I can handle some forms and security tape.” They pushed him towards his room. “Now go, before I tie you to that bed and force you to sleep.”

“Yes, captain.” He grumbled, even though he fell asleep within twenty seconds of collapsing on his bed. He’d have to face his fate tomorrow, but for now, he just slept.

~+~

_ Peter crept up the stairs slowly, trying not to make a sound. Mag had gone off on one of his business trips, and there was no one else he could bother at this hour. He slowly opened the door to M’Tendere’s workshop. _

_ “M’dere?” The 8-year-old boy asked, softly, as if he might scare M’Tendere away. _

_ M’Tendere, who had been talking to someone on their comms as the worked on some new prototype jumped up when they heard Peter’s voice. The turned to look at him, scared and aggressive at first but breaking into a fond smile when they saw Peter. _

_ “Mwana?” They asked, making their over to Peter, squatting down to reach his eye level.  _

_ “Who were you talking to?” M’Tendere shook their head. _

_ “Just Mr. Jet…” They suddenly hardened, the calm on their face replaced with worry “What’s wrong?” _

_ “Couldn’t sleep.” Peter rubbed his eyes, hoping that M’Tendere couldn’t see his tears. They simply cupped his cheek and asked: _

_ “Another nightmare?” He shook his head. _

_ “Same one.” He choked back his tears and sniffled, as M’Tendere wiped a tear away from under his eye. “The one with the crashing and the shouting.” _

_ M’Tendere tutted, before lifting Peter up and carrying him back downstairs. _

_ “You have to remember,” They whispered, “That it’s just a dream, mwana. It’s not real.” _

_ “But what if it was?” He whimpered as M’Tendere chuckled softly. _

_ “Then Mr. Jet and I would protect you, wouldn’t we? And Mag too.” _

_ “Mag’s in La Verri-ey.” Peter made sure to enunciate the words like Mag had taught him and M’Tendere smiled. They rounded the corner and stepped into Peter’s bedroom. M’Tendere flipped the lights off, and the only light left was from the little glow in the dark stars that he and Nova had made on her birthday, hanging across the ceiling. _

_ “Can you sing for me, M’dere?” He asked as they set him down gently, tucking him into bed. _

_ “Of course.” They reached for their guitar, resting in the corner of the room, and began to sing softly. The tune was gentle and their voice was so quiet that only Peter could hear. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths as M’Tendere sang. _

**_“All dressed in evergreen… oh yes, the birth of spring… what will your garden bring?”_ **

_ He imagined playing with his dad in the garden, M’Tendere and Mr. Jet picking flowers and painting new sketches for robots and inventions. He imagined making flower crowns like Mag’s old assistant had taught him to… _

**_“Strong hands to work the dust… long days, in body I trust, our tools have turned to rust..”_ **

_ He thought of his birth father. Julius Nureyev. The name sounded funny in Peter’s mouth. He used to work in one of Mag’s factories. He was strong, like in the song. Was Peter going to be strong too? _

_ “Did you know my dad, M’dere?” _

_ They sighed, the ghost of a smile lingering on their lips, as they continued strumming gently. _

_ “No, mwana, but I heard the stories… Julius Nureyev made quite the name for himself around these parts…” They focused back on Peter and their smile grew. “And you, one day you will make a name for yourself too.” _

_ “How?” He scoffed, “I’m not big or strong like Mag. And I’m not smart like you. And I’m not scary like Mr. Jet either.” _

_ M’Tendere laughed softly, “But you are those things, Pete. You will grow to be strong,” They pressed a finger to his stomach, “you will grow to be smart,” they pressed a finger to his head, “and most importantly,” they pressed a finger to his heart, “You will be good.” _

_ “Mag says that I need to be ‘diplomatic’ and ‘systematic’ to do good things.” Peter was pretty sure he mispronounced those words, but M’Tendere just shook their head. _

_ “All you need to do to be good is to be yourself. The kind, considerate, wonderful little boy I know you are.” They began to strum again, “Now, remember what we said about nightmares?” _

_ “Yes… Deep breath in…” He inhaled… “Deep breath out…” He exhaled. _

_ “Good.” They plucked at their guitar strings, “Now, keep breathing and think of your stars, and dream sweet…” _

_ Deep breath in… Deep breath out… _

**_“There is no other way... there is no yesterday… what's done is done, I won't run, it's okay now... but if you're there... hear my prayer… any day now… any day now…”_ **

_ Any day now... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> working title for this fic: m'tendere and jet steal a child


	3. you're my biggest fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suffice to say, that after having to spend over 3 hours with Cecil Kanagawa and being thrown halfway across a street by a giant surveillance robot, Peter needed a break.

Peter Nureyev is not a stalker.

“The fact that you have to clarify this seems like a dealbreaker, Pete.” Nova had said, cackling as Peter was having a midlife crisis.

“You think this is so funny,” He glared at her, “Don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” She beamed, like the cruel, cruel woman she is, “I haven’t heard anything nearly as entertaining since Tony left town.”

“It’s not funny!”

Nova tilted her head and smirked, “It really is though.”

“We were kids!” Peter cried, indignantly.

“He was a kid,” She said, calmly flipping over a page in her book. “You were a jerk.”

“He was a jerk back!”

“You started it.” She smirked, and Peter knew he was never going to win this argument.

It had all started at 4:30 that day. Peter Nureyev had a horrible night, and so far Peter Ransom was having an even worse day. He’d been stuck in meetings all morning, from his business brunch with the D’Arc’s, to his visit to a factory in Akna, to his horrid pitch meeting with Cecil Kanagawa.

“For the last time,” He had said, “I have no interest in hosting a talk show!”

And while Peter Ransom’s troubles had ended there, Peter Nureyev’s day had only just begun. Of course, the Guardian Angel’s had to attack an apartment block right after his meeting with the Vega’s, because Peter Nureyev cannot have a single moment of rest!

“You have to use the new thrusters!” M’tendere had yelled through their comms, which did not help Peter concentrate in the slightest. “I just upgraded them!”

“You couldn’t have told me this twenty minutes ago?” Peter yelled back, as he struggled to keep himself afloat, barely dodging the Guardian’s fist, “How was I supposed to work a system that I don’t know about?”

“I don’t know!” M’Tendere had hollered, and Peter could hear them clicking and typing across the comms, “You’re the child prodigy here!”

“I’m not that kind of prodigy!” He had cried, barely dodging a beam from the Guardian’s blaster. He suddenly found himself thankful that he’d thought to evacuate the area before the attack. “At least I’m not-!”

Peter is sure he’d have thought of something very witty to say, if only he hadn’t gotten punched in the gut by one of the Guardian’s gigantic fists.

Suffice to say, that after having to spend over 3 hours with Cecil Kanagawa and being thrown halfway across a street by a giant surveillance robot, Peter needed a break.

He dodged behind a dumpster, as a cop car sped by. It was a much closer call than he would’ve liked.

“Find him!” A tall officer yelled, “He was right here! Don’t let him get away again!”

“Yes, Sergeant DuGard!” One of the uniforms replied, and if they hadn’t been chasing him, Peter would’ve almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

“Oh god,” Peter groaned, as he tried to push himself up. He instinctively ran his hand down his side, using M’Tendere’s scanner to check for injuries. No blood or broken bones, the suit’s armor had held up fine, but damn, that was definitely gonna be one big bruise. He checked his timepiece, 4:23… that meant that M’Tendere wouldn’t be home, Mavis’ was closed, and he needed to find a new cafe. He straightened himself out, before flipping on his wings and taking off again.

As he jumped from roof to roof, it occurred to him that he hadn’t been this close to losing a fight since his first days as the Angel. He should’ve gotten it under control, he knew what to do in these situations! Evacuate the citizens, aim for the heart, dispose of the damage, you’re in and out in 20 minutes max. But today he was… he acted like an amateur. Was he getting rusty? Perhaps he was weak in his old age, one half of his brain offered, before the other half promptly reminded him that he was barely 30. 

He sighed, twirling slightly on one chimney as he jumped down onto a streetlight. Maybe he needed a break, maybe he needed some time for himself. Maybe he just needed a friend. Mag would’ve thought it ridiculous, he always thought it best to work alone. But where had that gotten him?

Nureyev shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He didn’t have time to ponder hypotheticals. Right now, he just wanted some goddamn coffee. Unfortunately, all his usuals were closed, which probably had something to do with the city block he nearly let a G.A destroy.

They’d been coming for years now. The Guardian Angel System, they called it. A new surveillance method to keep your city safe! In reality, it was more of a spy than any of the idiots Pereyra sent after him. The Hyperion City Council had tried to keep them out for years, and so the G.A’s resorted to violence. As much as the Hyperion government hated the Angel, even they knew he was their best defense against the G.A’s.

He was thinking about the unfortunate connotations of their acronym of choice when he saw it. A small cafe, with an ornate purple and gold sign hanging off it’s walls. It looked nearly empty, and one of the barista’s was packing up.

“The Penumbra Patisserie…” He muttered, as he jumped off the balcony roof he was perched on.

It was perfect, Peter thought to himself, as he descended into the alley a block over. He pressed into his earpiece twice and let his suit fold up. It was quite a remarkable piece of tech. Hundreds and thousands of tiny nano-bots coming together to create an impenetrable armor. The only thing that could break through was a focused laser beam, which would need more than 77 volts of focused current and couldn't have a particle mass of more than 2.5. With modern technology, it was nearly impossible to break, and the only person who could would be M’Tendere. To anyone else it just looked like a white suit, albeit with giant glowing wings, but it truly was one of the most remarkable things M’Tendere had ever created. They were currently trying to turn it into a new type of prosthetic, if only Peter could persuade THEIA to let them mass-produce…

He pushed his thoughts from his mind, he couldn’t worry himself with work stuff right now. He needed a few minutes to himself. He straightened out his suit and walked into the cafe.

“You sure you got this?” A tiny woman yelled to her coworker as he rearranged some cups on their shelf.

“I think I can handle a customer or two by myself, Rita.” Her friend joked, and Peter could swear he’d heard that voice somewhere before…

“If you’re sure, Mr. Steel!” The short woman, Rita, said, as she walked towards the door.

“Go to class, Rita, I’ll be fine.” Steel… Steel, Steel, where had he heard that name-

Oh.

_Oh_.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no…

Peter ducked into a booth before the lady could see him. It’d been years, but he’d recognize that voice anywhere. He peeked out and all his worst fears were confirmed.

Standing by the coffee pot, humming and stirring, was Juno Aurinko - Steel. A thousand memories came flying back to him, taunts they’d exchanged, cruel pranks they’d played, that one time they’d nearly set Nova’s skirt on fire cause they’d been arguing and knocked over a candle. If Juno saw Nureyev, if he saw _Ransom_ , he was done for. And that wasn’t even the worst bit.

Juno Steel grew up _hot_. Peter had slighted the gods one too many times, and his eternal punishment? Juno Steel was hot.

“Hey, you ok back there?” Juno called out, and Peter froze. This. This was how his life ended, he was going to get murdered by Juno Steel in a small coffee shop on 2 and 52nd. M’Tendere and Jet wouldn’t even get a body to bury.

“You’ve been pretty quiet since you came in…” Juno continued, and if Peter didn’t know better he’d think that Juno was smiling. “Is the mysterious customer not even going to order anything?”

Wait. He didn’t… He didn’t recognize Peter. He didn’t recognize him.

“I’m terribly sorry, I just,” Peter got up slowly, unsure of how to handle the situation, “I’m new in town and I’m afraid I haven’t quite gotten used to this new environment.”

“Well,” Juno chuckled, and Peter nearly tripped over a chair, “On behalf of one Hyperion local, welcome to Hyperion! So what, you’re here for business, or…?”

“Ah, yes!” Peter practically squealed, real smooth Nureyev, as he began to build a backstory. It was usually much easier than this. “Yes, I’m here for my new job. I work for Brahma Corp.”

Juno scowled and Nureyev flinched. “Be careful around there, you can’t trust any of the richer folk in this city.”

“Well, I feel like we should give them the benefit of the doubt.” Peter tried, hoping to elicit any, any, positive reaction from Juno. “Besides, what do we know about the Uptown types?”

“I would know, I was one of the Uptown types.” Juno stepped up to the register, “What can I get you?”

“Ah, just a black coffee, thank you.” He stepped aside to make the drink, and Nureyev followed. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you working in a coffee shop?” Juno raised an eyebrow at him, “Since you used to be an Uptown type, I don’t know, you don’t need to tell me-”

“No, no, don’t worry.” Juno smirked, “I was adopted, and lemme tell you, the Hyperion foster care system? Fucked as hell. So I grew up wanting to be a cop, right? Wanted to make sure no kid had to go through the same shit I did. And don’t get me wrong, I love my mom’s, but the families I was with before them? Worst years of my life. Then, I learn that, surprise! The rich all want to make you suffer and the cops don’t give two shits about you as long as they get a good payday. So I joined my brother in art school and I bond with this other kid who just quit being a secretary at the HCPD. We become best friends, she inherits a cafe from her uncle, I get a job where I don’t have to work for my parents, everyone wins.”

“That’s… quite the life story.” It made sense. Peter had always known the Aurinko’s weren’t like the other families. They believed in ethical crime, and they made sure that their kids had the same morals that they did. And he knew firsthand that the HCPD were more useless than an empty blaster at a knife fight.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Juno quipped, before handing Peter a small cup. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, I’ll-” Peter reached for his wallet, only for Juno to put a hand over his.

“No, no.” He winked, and Peter sincerely hoped that Juno couldn’t see him blush. “On the house. Welcome to Hyperion, stranger.”

“Thanks, I’ll- uh.. Yeah.” Peter stammered before practically running out the door. Juno had been flirting. Flirting! He was 90% sure that Juno had been replaced by some cute, art student, barista robot who flirts.

“Or,” Nova said when he crashed at her house twenty minutes later. “That’s what happens when you get proper love and nurture. You become a functional human being!”

“I got love and nurture!” Peter had replied, indignant.

“M’Tendere and Jet don’t count.”

“I... got nurture!”

“Mag’s idea of nurture was making you a mini version of him!” She cried, “That’s hardly good parenting.”

“Like you’re such an expert on good parenting…” He muttered under his breath, which earned him a sigh from Nova. 

“It’s true, all rich children are cursed with shitty parents.”

“If anything, it’s a miracle we turned out as normal as we did.” He added, not looking up from his comms. Nova merely raised an eyebrow at him before jumping up and grabbing his comms.

“Hey!” He cried.

“Oh my god,” She laughed, like the horrible cruel person that she is. “Are you stalking him on social media?”

“I’m not stalking!” He yelled, “I’m looking!” She gave him a look™, “Respectfully!”

“Good lord, you’re a mess.” She said, simply swatting away the pillow he threw at her in response. “Get yourself together, Ransom. Don’t you have important business tonight?”

More than she knew. Tonight, Peter would have to complete the first of Miasma’s tasks. And he was still in a funk from the morning’s attack. He’d have to get his act together, or else his fate was sealed.

So of course, that’s when it had to all go wrong.


	4. it's all or none

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August 17th 2013: Juno Aurinko-Steel and Peter Ransom attend the annual Hyperion City Council Charity Gala

Juno fidgeted, uncomfortably with his dress. His mom had bought it just for him, and it was a pretty dress, it really was. The long yellow lehenga, the fairytale-esque blouse, it was perfect. But then Juno looked out at the other kids at the gala. He knew that his moms weren’t as rich as some of them, but holy shit, he was pretty sure he saw someone show up in a dress made of diamonds. Diamonds!

“You ok, Super Steel?” Ben asked, squeezing his hand. “You look a little queasy…”

He nodded, “I’m fine, Ben, it’s just…”

“A little overwhelming?” Ben chuckled, “Yeah, I totally get why Buddy and Vespa didn’t want to bring us to these for the last few years. We’d have been eaten alive.”

Juno looked out and saw his moms talking to some tall bodyguard by a pillar. Buddy smiled at him, and waved. Juno timidly waved back as Vespa made her way back to them.

“Hey, kiddo.” She ruffled Ben’s hair as he laughed, and put a hand on Juno’s shoulder. “You two doing ok?”

“Yes ma’am.” Ben gave her a little twirl. “I’m looking very fine indeed if I may say so myself.”

He wasn’t wrong. The suit Vespa had gotten for him looked very nice indeed.

She laughed softly. “Not what I meant.” She turned to Juno. “I know how brutal these things can be for  outsiders. I had to deal with all kinds of shit, don’t tell your mother I said that word, when I first started dating Buddy.”

“I’m fine.” Juno huffed, and Vespa gave him a skeptical look.

“I know.” She shrugged. “I’m just saying it’s ok if you aren’t. Look, I have to get back to my business talk with the Arturis, but if you need anything-”

“Let you know, we know, Ves.” Ben smiled, putting an arm around Juno. “Don’t worry, we got this.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes, as she turned to walk towards Arturi's oldest daughter.

“Don’t worry, Super Steel.” Ben whispered to Juno, a wicked smile spreading across his face. “We’re gonna take this gala by storm.”

~+~

Of all the events Mag had brought him to, this had to be the most boring. Peter had spent the last hour by the wall chatting with Nova and the second Rockridge girl, whose name he couldn’t remember. He’d spent the last 3 minutes staring at M’Tendere and Jet, who were currently chatting with some red-haired lady by the pillar. They’d dressed up for the occasion, with Jet in a fine suit and M’Tendere in a long white gown, but he’d never seen that lady before, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit wary…

“Am I right, Pete?” Nova turned to ask him, snapping Peter out of his trance. 

“I-, uh, yes?” Nova rolled her eyes, before turning back to her new friend. 

“Like I said, Pete and I have known each other for years, we’re practically attached at the hip!”

“Thick as thieves…” He mumbled, as Nova prattled on. He loved her, truly, she was the only real friend he had, but she could be so talkative at times. He didn’t have the patience to listen to her never-ending anecdotes all night.

Instead, he surveyed the room. He recognized most of the people here, except for the red-haired lady, her green-haired wife, and two kids, probably about his age. They were dressed in cheaper clothes than most of the others, but Peter was never one to judge. They seemed nervous, it was probably their first ball. The taller one was wearing a lovely velvet suit, and the shorter a billowing yellow dress with a large shawl wrapped across his chest. 

“Whatcha looking at, Pete?” Nova asked, following his line of sight. “Oh, those are the Aurinko kids, right?”

“The who?”

“I heard that they used to be from Old Town,” The Rockridge girl smirked, and Peter felt his dislike for her increase exponentially. “Apparently, their mom-!”

  
  
“Simone!” Nova swatted at her friend's arm, playfully, though Peter could hear the bite in her tone. “Don’t be rude! I’m sure they’re lovely, right, Pete?”

He simply hummed in response, eyes still fixed on the yellow twin. He seemed to laugh at something his brother said, and Peter didn’t know why but he suddenly felt a fluttering in his stomach.

“They are cute, though, for Old Town types.” Simone giggled, “Right, Nova?”

“Tuxedo boy is pretty cute,” She nodded, before blushing a little bit. “But not as cute as my crush.”

“Ooh, Nova’s got a crush!” Simone squealed and Peter fought the urge to gag, “What about you, Ransom?”

“Pardon?”

“Thoughts on the new kids?” Simone smirked, “They’re cute right? You’ve been gawking at that little lady for the last 3 minutes.”

“I don’t- They’re not, I-” He stammered, before turning on Nova, “What about Nova’s crush huh? Let’s talk about that?”

“No!” Nova shrieked, “I mean, no, I’d rather not-, I-”

He’d rather been looking forward to hearing about Nova’s new paramour, but before she could continue, Peter caught a harsh laugh coming from the other side of the ballroom. He spun around to see Tony DeMaggio towering over someone. He leaned over Nova to get a better look and saw the smaller Aurinko, cowering on the floor on the verge of tears.

“What are gonna do, princess?” DeMaggio taunted, and Peter could see the taller Aurinko prepare for a fight. “Call your mommy? Oh, wait!”

Peter didn’t remember exactly what happened next, all he knew was that one moment he dropped his cape, and the next he saw red.

~+~

Of all the ways Buddy had seen the night going wrong, this hadn’t been one of them.

She’d been busy swapping notes with M’Tendere and Jet when she heard that wicked child laugh. She saw him standing over Juno, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to punch Madame DeMaggio in the face for producing such a horrid child. Then, she saw Ben gearing up to fight DeMaggio Jr. and she nearly tripped over herself trying to get to them and break up the fight. She didn’t have to, though, because before Ben could step in, a small boy, around Juno’s age, stepped up to DeMaggio and simply tapped him on the shoulder. When Tony whipped around, the kid (was that Ransom’s son?) clocked him across the face, knocking DeMaggio to the floor.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to taunt a lady?” He snarled, seeming more offended than anything. “Is chivalry truly dead?”

“Yeah!” Juno chimed in, getting to his feet and pointing at Ransom. “What he said!”

“Honestly, it’s shameful!” Ransom continued, “You’re what? 16? And you’re still picking on the new kid?”

“And I’m wearing heels!” Juno added, to which Ransom nodded. “I can’t even fight back that much!”

“What do you care?” Tony protested, “He’s just the fresh meat! Let me have some fun!”

The Ransom kid took a deep breath before smiling down at Tony. “You’re right, we should all just have a good time. And you know, I have a really fun idea I wanna try!”

He grabbed a nearby tray and hit DeMaggio in the stomach, to which Juno responded by yelling ‘yeah!’ and hitting him with his heels.

Vespa looked like she was going to faint, but Buddy, oh Buddy was smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. This was better than she could ever have hoped for. She’d never been a fan of Ransom, but his kid? Oh, she loved this kid already! Now, there’s a child with a good moral compass! That’s the kind of heir you could do business with.

“Nice job with Ransom.” She muttered, M’Tendere, who was smiling like a proud mother hen.

“Thanks, he takes after his parents.” They fist-bumped Jet, who looked like he was having the time of his life.

“We should probably break them up before someone calls security.” Vespa whispered.

“Yes, that does seem wise.” Jet replied, and he made his way over to the kids. As soon as Juno and Peter saw Jet and Vespa approaching they quickly straight ened themselves out and if it weren’t for Tony DeMaggio lying beneath them, looking like he’d been run over by a truck, she’d have said they looked positively angelic.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Peter stuck out his hand, and Juno took it.

“Likewise.” He said, before they both took off running in opposite directions, Vespa and Jet chasing after them. Across the ballroom, she locked eyes with Mag Ransom, and in that moment, she knew they had a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> working title: juno and peter beat up a child


	5. such good parenting and politics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait!” Peter cried, “Juno, you’re a genius!”
> 
> “I am?”
> 
> “Yes! I mean, no, but yes!” Peter stepped over to the couch to lean over Juno, beaming like a madman. “I’m an obtuse fucking asshole.”
> 
> “...Wasn’t this already established, or-?” Juno replied simply, as if Peter hadn’t just come up with the greatest plan he’d ever created in all his twelve years of life.

A letter, from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, August 18 2013: 

_My dear associate,_

_I’m sure that by now you’ve ascertained the intent behind our alliance? The events of the gala, though objectively regrettable, provide quite an interesting opportunity for us, do they not? It is no secret that you and I have never seen eye to eye, and I don’t believe that will ever truly change. However, I think that our children may have some hope of a blooming friendship. It is my intention to give them a little nudge in the right direction, if you catch my meaning?_

_I hope to hear from you soon, and all my well wishes,_

_Buddy Aurinko_

~+~

“I still think this is a horrible idea,” Vespa said, for what seemed like the zillionth time that day. 

“Of course darling.” Buddy hummed, her head still in the clouds as she sealed the letter.

“You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said, huh?” Vespa quirked an eyebrow, “I love you? I want a divorce! I’m pregnant!”

“Hmm?” Buddy turned slightly to smile at her wife, “what was that darling?”

“Nothing,” Vespa sighed, as she walked out of the room, “Just realizing that I’m the trophy wife of this marriage.”

“That’s lovely darling.”

“Sure it is.”

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, August 19th 2013: 

_Madame Aurinko,_

_I’m so very glad we agree on this front. I do believe it would do my son some good to have some more friends his age, especially one who will be at the forefront of such a powerful family in the future. Both of your children seem delightful, and I must admit, I admire your eldest’s (Juno I believe?) rough streak. Now there’s a young lady who’s not afraid to get his hands (or heels) dirty. I very much think that our children could form a formidable team._

_I await our partnership,_

_Mag Ransom_

~+~

“Why is _he_ here?” Ben practically shrieked, and M’Tendere’s smile barely faltered.

“Your Ma invited Peter and Nova to join us in the park today.” Vespa sighed, looking every bit as reluctant and tired as M’Tendere felt. They thought this would be easy! Stick the kids in a room, watch friendship blossom… But both Juno and Peter seemed less than happy to have to spend time together.

Vespa was pretty sure that most of Juno’s dislike of Ransom came from whatever Ben had told him.

_“I heard,” She’d heard him tell his brother last night, “That he’s a real jerk, y’know. One of his friends told me.”_

_“Really?” Juno had asked._

_“Yuh huh,” Ben nodded solemnly, “Apparently, he’s real mean, never shares, yells at his cook, and he doesn’t even like Cassandra’s cat.”_

_“But everyone likes Marshmallow-san!” Juno gasped, “He’s the fluffiest cat on Mars!”_

_“I know!” Ben cried. “He’s a real piece of work, that Ransom.”_

M’Tendere was sure that it was Nova who had sown the seeds of discord.

_“I heard that the Aurinko kid said all kinds of nasty things about your dad the other day.” She had said plainly, as she filed her nails, lounging across Peter’s bed._

_“Really?” Peter had asked, still lying on the floor._

_“Really really,” She had replied. “He said that Mr. Ransom was a spineless sell-out.”_

_“How dare he!” Peter had shot upright, and M’Tendere had to stop themselves from physically cringing. They loved Peter, really, he was the sweetest kid on Mars, but the boy was loyal to a fault. “My father is the most honorable, honest, hardworking man on Mars! The nerve-!”_

_“I know right?” Nova cocked her head as she spoke, looking far too innocent to be up to any good. “I wouldn’t want someone like that as a friend…”_

Whoever had started this fight, it was clear that Vespa and M’Tendere weren’t going to end it anytime soon. Juno at least tried to be polite at first, even as his brother was glaring holes through Peter’s head, and Peter waved back, even as Nova looked like she might be hiding a body later that night.

“Lovely to see you, Ransom.” Ben spat out his name like it was venom, and Peter simply quirked an eyebrow.

“Charming as always, Aurinko.” He deadpanned, and Vespa knew that there was no hope from here.

“Here’s an idea!” M’Tendere chimed in, before either of them could get more hostile. Vespa had never been fonder of M’Tendere in her life. They placed their hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Why don’t you and Juno go look at the butterflies and Nova can show Ben her kite?”

“Yes!” Vespa smiled, finally back on track! “That sounds great, right kids?”

Ben merely huffed, and stalked off with Nova, who still wore the same murderous expression. Juno and Peter stood in silence until Vespa nudged Juno gently in the shoulder. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I’m sorry about my brother,” He said, not looking up from his shoes. “He’s not good with new people.”

“Hmm,” Peter nodded, “It’s alright, probably just a difference of upbringing.”

M’Tendere facepalmed, screaming internally, while poor Juno mostly just seemed confused.

“So…” Peter cleared his throat, he’d honestly been expecting a retort of some kind. “How are you adjusting to life with the Aurinko’s?”

“What do you mean?” Juno asked, cautious, almost as if he expected Peter to mess up. Vespa was currently praying that he didn’t.

“Well, you know,” Peter continued, as they walked a little further away from Vespa and M’Tendere. “You’re new to this type of life, and you obviously aren’t that used to-”

“Ok, are you trying to be rude?” Juno crossed his arms and frowned. “I’ve been with the Aurinko’s for years, and even before that I was with the Kanagawa’s.”

“Wait, what?” Peter scoffed, “Really? I never would've thought-”

“Well, obviously, because I’m _so_ uncivilized.” Juno glared at Peter, who shrank under his gaze. “My brother was right, you really are an insensitive jerk!”

“That’s rich!” Peter yelled, as Vespa and M’Tendere grimaced, and Nova and Ben beamed. “At least I have some semblance of honor! I defended you at the gala, and all you do is belittle me!”

“Just because you use fancy words and were born rich-,” Juno didn’t notice Peter recoil at his words, “-doesn’t mean you’re better than me!” Juno yelled back, “You’re just a spoiled brat!”

“Oh, fuck you!”

“Peter!” M’Tendere cried, looking like they were going to faint.

“Fuck you too!”

“Juno, no!” Vespa groaned.

“Juno, yes!” Ben grinned.

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, August 22nd: 

_My associate,_

_Well, they never said first impressions were easy. The children may have gotten off to a rough start, but I’m sure that they will be more… compatible in the future._

_I look forward to seeing your son soon,_

_Buddy Aurinko_

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, August 23rd: 

_Madame Aurinko,_

_I too look forward to seeing our children interact again. Although, it would probably be best for them to do so on your property. I still haven’t installed any first aid kits._

_Mag Ransom_

~+~

“I don’t get it!” Peter groaned as he slumped on Juno’s couch. Juno simply turned a page of his book, trying his hardest to ignore Peter’s presence. “Why does your mom need to force us to hang out? This is, like, the 5th time this week!”

“Hey, I’m not too crazy about you either, asshole.” Peter rolled his eyes, as he Juno spoke. “And it’s not just my mom, your dad is in on this too.”

“What even is ‘this’?” Peter scoffed, “I hardly see any benefit in fraternizing with you.”

“They probably want you to develop some social skills.” Juno set his book down. “Wait, did you really just say fraternizing?”

“Not all of us have the vocabulary of an illiterate chipmunk.” Peter snapped back, making Juno shoot him a look of complete and utter disdain. “And I hardly think I need to improve my ‘social skills’.”

“I could hear the air quotes, man, that’s not great.”

“That’s not the point!” Peter cried, as he paced the room. “I just don’t get what this whole ordeal is about!”

“Well, I heard my friend Sasha talking to my brother about it the other day.” Juno stretched his chin in thought, “I think she said something about ‘betrotha-?”

“A what?” Peter screeched and Juno jumped back.

“Jesus, give a lady some warning before you-!”

“Juno. Do you know what a betro-” Peter took a deep breath. “What that word means?”

“No…?” Juno asked, slowly, as if he thought Peter was losing his mind. Peter leaned in and whispered in Juno’s ear, and Juno nearly screamed.

“A what?” He cried.

“That’s what I said!”

“Gross!” Juno shuddered, glaring at Ransom. “I don’t wanna have to spend eternity with you!”

“Believe me the feeling is very mutual.” Peter sneered.

“We gotta stop this.” Juno shot out of his seat, pacing the room frantically. “There is no way we go through with this, right?”

“Maybe I can talk to my dad?” Peter offered, and Juno scoffed.

“It was probably his idea in the first place!”

“My father would never!” Peter glared at Juno, “It was probably some sick power play by your mother!”

“My mom isn’t that kind of person!”

“Not Ms. Vespa, the other one.”

“Oh.” He paused to think. “Yeah no, that’s exactly the kind of thing Buddy would do. But not… _that_ extreme!”

“Apparently so…” Peter continued to pace the room. “There must be something we can do? I mean there’s no way in hell that I have to tolerate you for the rest of my life.”

“Hey, you know, maybe we’d get along better if you weren’t such an, ah, what’s the term? Oh yeah,” Juno leveled his gaze to look Peter straight in the eye. “Obtuse fucking asshole.”

“Must you always be so crude?”

“You say this as if you aren’t, in fact, an obtuse fucking assho-”

“Wait!” Peter cried, “Juno, you’re a genius!”

“I am?”

“Yes! I mean, no, but yes!” Peter stepped over to the couch to lean over Juno, beaming like a madman. “I’m an obtuse fucking asshole.”

“...Wasn’t this already established, or-?” Juno replied simply, as if Peter hadn’t just come up with the greatest plan he’d ever created in all his twelve years of life.

“No, no! You’re also an obtuse fucking asshole!” He groaned when Juno just raised an eyebrow in response. “Look, you don’t like me, but I don’t like you either!”

“Yeah!” Juno cut in, and if Peter didn’t know better he’d think Juno was embarrassed. “I do not like you! At all!”

Peter was pretty sure he wasn’t blushing. It was just a trick of the mind.

“Exactly, so,” He crossed the room as he spoke. “If this whole thing really is some sort of political move, then we have to make sure that they have no openings. If we hate each other, then there is no benefit to our partnership. Therefore…”

“We’d be free!” Juno gasped, as the plan fell into place in his mind. “That’s actually not a horrible idea.”

“Oh, you flatter me so.” Peter joked, clearing his throat under Juno’s withering glare. “We just have to make it clear that we can’t work together. We just have to…”

His voice broke off as he saw it, and Juno’s eyes followed his soon after. It was perfect, the seeds of destruction were sown…

“Go out with a bang…” Juno murmured, as he locked eyes with Ransom and broke into a wicked grin.

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, September 3rd: 

_Associate,_

_So. Our children nearly blew up a drawing-room by knocking over a crate of firecrackers near a candle, while having a fistfight. This is… not ideal. But, this is probably only a minor setback._

_You are still obligated to compensate for the cost of repairs though._

_Holding on to hope,_

_Buddy Aurinko._

~+~

The evening so far had been pretty boring. Dinner with the Ransom’s and the Zolotov’s, hanging out at the Ransom Mansion and watching movies, standard stuff. But Juno knew time was of the essence if they wanted to cause a scene. He caught Peter’s eyes, and they knew, it was showtime.

“Say, Juno,” Peter began, leaning over to Juno, next to him on the couch, innocent as ever. “Do you always fidget this much while doing a menial task, or are you just trying to ruin movie night?”

“I don’t know, Ransom.” Juno shot back, a smirk across his face that only Peter could see in the darkness, “Are you always such a killjoy? I’ve been here for like twenty minutes, and you’ve shot me dirty looks like 16 times.”

“Why? Are you counting?”

“Yeah, you know, I’m just so fidgety,” Oh, Juno was really having fun with it this time, “And I had this little piece of paper, and, I don’t know, it’s just fun messing with you.”

“Why you-!” Peter began before getting cut off by Juno who was now tackling him off the couch.

“You guys!” Nova began to protest, when they knocked over something on the table. Everyone went silent, staring at Nova in horror. She didn’t know why, but it felt like the ground was getting warmer…

“Nova…” M’Tendere hissed, eyes wide as they stepped towards her, “Just get up gently, and roll over.”

“What? Why are you-” That’s when she looked down. Juno and Peter must have knocked a candle over while they were fighting, because there were flames creeping up her skirt. So, like any rational person she screamed.

“Stop, drop and roll!” Ben yelled, jumping onto the couch, “Stop drop and roll!”

“Did we maybe…” Juno whispered to Peter, “Overdo this one?”

“Yes,” Peter said, watching M’Tendere chase Nova with a fire hydrant, “I do think that would be accurate.”

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, September 6th: 

_Aurinko,_

_Only if you pay for Nova’s new dress._

_Mag Ransom_

~+~

“What’s his deal?” Cassandra hissed under her breath to Juno, glaring at Peter. Buddy and Mag had thought that perhaps a neutral location would help smooth things out. But of course, hell hath no wrath like a young lady and a boy on a mission.

“Don’t mind Ransom.” Juno rolled his eyes, as he and Cass walked in the snow, “He’s just grumpy.”

“I am not!” Peter chimed in, indignant.

“Ugh, you’re right.” Cassandra groaned, and Juno giggled. “He’s kind of a jerk.”

“You know I can hear you right?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, perhaps I didn’t speak clearly.” Cassandra glared straight at Peter. “You’re kind of a jerk.” She took Juno’s hand and they ran off with Marshmallow-san, leaving an incredulous Peter in their wake.

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, September 24th: 

_Ransom,_

_Attached are the reparation bills for my vase, my grandmother’s urn, my carpet, my chandelier, my oven, my petunia’s, my wife’s leg, my son’s arm and my wallpaper._

_Have fun,_

_Buddy Aurinko_

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, September 25th: 

_I don’t recall my son breaking your wife’s leg? What’s that one for?_

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, September 25th: 

_For fun._

_Best wishes,_

_Buddy Aurinko_

~+~

“Ok, time out.” Vespa sighed, pulling Ben and Nova aside as Juno and Peter screamed at each other in the background. “What is up with you two? Why are you making this worse?”

“I can’t let my brother get stuck with that guy!” Ben replied, defensive, pointing accusatorily at Ransom, who was currently being hit over the head with a pillow. “I’m not that heartless!”

“And Peter can’t marry Juno!” Nova cried, distraught. “He’s too pretty for that!”

“Hey, my brother is the one out of Ransom’s league.” Ben said, turning to Nova.

“We can agree to disagree.”

“Hang on,” Vespa cut in, rubbing her temples, realising how much she needed a nap, “Why would Juno and Ransom get married?”

“...Isn’t that what this is?” Nova asked, after a few seconds of awkward silence. Vespa smiled, half-tired, half-exasperated, and just a little mean. 

“No, sweetie, that it is most certainly not.”

“To be fair though,” Ben began to speak, sheepishly, “That is the kind of thing Ma would set up.”

“No it-, nope, you’re right,” Vespa nodded, “That is very on-brand for her. But that’s not what’s happening here, ok?”

Ben and Nova exchanged a look, before rambling off at the same time.

“Well, it’s probably for the best anyways-”

“Peter doesn’t need any more friends-”

“Juno and he aren’t even that friendly-”

“They’d probably kill each other anyways without our help, so-”

“You know what?” Vespa threw her arms up in surrender, turning around and walking out the door, barely registering Juno holding Peter in a headlock, “I don’t even want to know.”

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, October 1st: 

_Madame Aurinko,_  
_  
_ Well, it seems as though, despite our best efforts, an alliance simply isn’t in the cards for our children. I shall not lose all hope, though. Perhaps in the future, your sons will grow to be more agreeable.

_Looking forward to any and all future partnerships,_

_Mag Ransom_

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, October 2nd: 

_I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t understand. My children? Your son is equally to blame, is he not?_

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, October 2nd: 

_Well, of course, Pete is not wholly innocent, but you must admit, Juno was far more out of line than my boy._

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, October 3rd: 

_I’m sorry, but your son, too, is, and I quote Juno and Benten, ‘an obtuse fucking asshole’. Clearly, if you will not discipline your children, they will grow to be like him!_

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, October 4th: 

_Oh, I’m sorry, did my son ‘trip’ over a carpet and tear down my antique curtains? At least my son has honor and decorum. He takes after his father._

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, October 5th: 

_Well, I certainly hope not. I like to think that your son has not inherited your non-existent moral backbone, your cowardice, and your general lack of human compassion. He, I actually had hope for._

~+~

A letter from one Mag Ransom to Buddy Aurinko, October 6th: 

_I do believe we’ve come to an impasse, and this is the end of our partnership._

_Good luck with all future endeavors,_

_Mag Ransom_

~+~

A letter from one Buddy Aurinko to Mag Ransom, October 6th: 

_I concur, and wish you all the luck for any future projects and their inevitable failure._

_Sincerely,_

_Buddy Aurinko_

~+~

“I hope that you understand that you are under no obligation to stay with Ransom.” Buddy’s voice rang out from the comm’s screen. Jet stood in front of M’Tendere, holding the comms as they spoke.

“I understand, Buddy,” M’Tendere said, smiling slightly. “I’m choosing to stay with Ransom. I know you don’t think much of him, but… I have faith in this kid. He’s going to do great things one day.”

Buddy sighed. “I suppose I can’t force you to return. Jet?”

“I would be more than happy to go back and forth between both. I too, have faith in the Ransom boy.”

“Very well,” Buddy smiled at them through the screen, “I hope you know that you are more than welcome to return at any point. You always have a home with us.”

“I know, Buddy.” M’Tendere flicked off the comms and stood with Jet under his umbrella.

“And so we march on.” He said, plainly.

“And so we march on…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alt title: local 12-year-olds cause property damage, more at 8


	6. playing poker with the dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His day had started out pretty normal, well as normal as the life of Juno Aurinko - Steel gets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is kind of low-quality cause i'm physically and mentally dying rn but idk enjoy

Juno heard the news at 5 in the morning. He met up with Cecil 20 minutes later, and let his step-brother cry into his shoulder for an eternity. He didn’t know then that things were going to get a whole lot weirder really quickly.

His day had started out pretty normal, well as normal as the life of Juno Aurinko - Steel gets. He woke up at 7 am, made some coffee for his roommates and his brother, ate a good breakfast.

“Half a bagel and a shit ton of caffeine isn’t a good breakfast, Mistah Steel!” Rita had practically screeched in his ear. “You’re a growing lady, you need your nutrition!”

“I hardly think 28 is exactly a growing age.” He’d replied, “And how many times have I told you not to call me ‘Mistah'? I may be your manager, but you still own the damn cafe!”

“Whatever you say, Mistah Steel.” Rita sipped her coffee simply, that dumb innocent look on her face that only Juno could seem to tell was smug. “And it’s a patisserie!”

“That’s just rich people for cafe!”

“It really isn’t.”

“Says the lady who calls her friends ‘Mistah’.”

“Juno, you do realise that your moms are rich too?” Mick asked, from his perch on the counter.

“Yeah, but they’re normal rich!” Juno protested.

“My family is normal!” Rita shot back, and if she’d been just 2 feet taller it would’ve actually been intimidating.

“Oh yeah?” Juno smirked, “Then why does your cousin Francis insist on calling everyone ‘dear traveler’?”

“Oh, that’s just cause he’s straight. That’s on him.”

“Loving the heterophobia in the kitchen today.” Ben said, as he emerged from the back room. “Now can I get some damn pancakes?”

After that, Juno had gone to class, at 8 am in the morning. Who has class at 8 am? And for art majors? Well, Vega certainly did. Juno couldn’t help but harbor just a little ill will towards him. After all, he was one of the men who ruined his mom’s life. He still had Sarah Steel on his mind when Vega announced the week’s assignment.

“I want you to make a family portrait, to depict those who you consider family as you see fit. I want to see the expression of your affections, your disagreements, the good, the bad, all of it!” He had announced, pacing through the class.

Juno looked down at his empty sketchbook. It wouldn’t be too hard, right? He’d painted his family hundreds of times, this time he’d just have to do them together. So why were his hands shaking now?

_ ‘Those times weren’t so close to the incident…’ A dark voice from the back of Juno’s mind taunted. _

He shook his head, taking a deep breath and trying to force his thoughts away. He had to focus on the positive… A portrait of the people he loved… he could manage that…

He started by scrolling through some flower combos. His love language had always been flowers, and so he’d use them today as well. In the center of the canvas, he started to draw a lady with his eyes closed, a single lotus covering part of his face. A lotus… the flower of Hera, aka Juno, a symbol of rebirth and strength… Buddy had always said it was fitting.

He drew her next, his mother. Buddy Aurinko, strong and steady. Always elegant, always classy, but always so incredibly human. She had been Juno’s support through so much of his life, and so that’s how he drew her, two gladioli covering half her face as she smiled up at him on the paper.

Then, he did Ben. Benzaiten Aurinko - Steel, his brother. He’d always been the happier twin, steadfast and loyal as the day was long. Juno gave him a chrysanthemum over his eye.

Next came Rita, his best friend, his partner in crime. He had no idea how one person kept so much joy stored inside them, but god, was he glad Rita did. For her, he drew a crown of gardenias atop her head.

He wasn’t sure what to do for Sarah Steel. He couldn’t just leave her out, but he didn’t know what he could show of her. The loving mom that he barely remembered? The monster he tried to forget? The victim whose story still made his blood boil? In the end, he placed her halfway off the sketch, showing only part of her face, and surrounded her by anemones.

And so he went, daffodils for Mick, asters for Sasha, snapdragons for Alessandra, tulips for the twins… but he stalled as he came to Vespa. He didn’t know why, but.. He felt unable to draw his mom, where she should have been smiling next to her wife. He leaned down to sketch her face, but his fingers stalled and all he could remember was her blank expression, the horror, the shock, the fear that had played across her face as she fell, as Juno ran towards her, screaming and shouting for help as Ben sobbed, as Buddy-

He snapped out of his thoughts as the bell rang. He jumped up, and quickly wiped his eyes. He hadn’t even realised he was crying. He ignored the strange looks he got from the students and went to collect his stuff. The class was empty and he was halfway out the door when Vega stopped him.

“Juno…” He began, looking sheepish. Juno couldn’t help but feel a sick satisfaction at his guilt. “I understand that this might be a… difficult assignment, but I hope you know that-”

“Let me guess,” Juno cut him off, rolling his eyes. “That I can always come to you for support and your door is always open?” He scoffed as Vega stumbled over his words. “I've heard it all before, sir. Contrary to popular belief, I’ll be fine.”

“You can’t turn away the people who want to help you forever, Juno!” Vega called after him as Juno began to walk towards the door. Juno simply chuckled in response, before turning to shoot Vega a smile that made him flinch.

“Trust me, professor.” He spat, he knew he was being cruel, but he really didn’t care. “You’re the last person I’d come to for help.”

He decided to walk to the Penumbra that day, giving him some time to clear his head. He knew he shouldn’t have snapped at Vega like that, but he couldn’t help it. Guess he wasn’t as over ‘the incident’ or Sarah Steel as he thought he was.

It was a funny thing, wasn’t it? Family… Whenever Juno stumbled over that word, people always came back to Sarah Steel. At this point, it seemed like Sarah Steel was the only part of his family that made sense. He could leave her in the past and keep walking forward.

As he opened the door to the Penumbra, letting the smell of Rita’s freshly baked croissants waft over him, he heard Mick going off on one of his Ransom tirades.

“I’m serious, Ritz!” He exclaimed, barely noticing Juno sitting down next to him at the counter. “He does, what? Donate to charity? Treat his workers like human beings? And everyone just has to treat him like god’s gift to man?”

“Of course not, Micholas.” Rita said, smiling at Juno as she mixed Mick’s drink. “Heya, Mistah Steel.” SHe turned back to Mick, frowning. “But that’s not the point. It’s not that he’s a hero, it’s that he’s better than the others.”

“I gotta say,” Juno smirked as Rita groaned, “I’m with Mick on this one. From what I remember of Peter Ransom, he was kind of a dick.”

“Mistah Steel, you’re biased!” Rita cried, to which Juno couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah,” Sasha sneered, “You’re just salty that your 7th grade crush didn’t like you back.”

“That’s not-” Juno protested as Rita and Mick laughed, “Oh c’mon, you know I hated the guy!”

“Pulling pigtails…” Mick teased.

“-Is a sexist notion that perpetuates the idea that young girls should find abuse flattering!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rita giggled, turning to smile softly at Mick, “Thanks for helping me out Mick. With Juno in class and Alessandra being out sick, you were a real help today.”

“No problem, Ritz.” Mick stood up, gesturing towards the door. “Sash, I’m gonna head out. Want a ride?”

“On your hovercycle? I’d be safer jumping off the Kanagawa mansion into oncoming traffic.” She smiled softly at Rita, who was too busy fixing up the coffee machine to see. “You go ahead, I’ll catch up with you later.”

She sat there for an hour and a half. The couple times that Juno passed her while he worked, he could see some of her Dark Matters stuff flashing across the screen. 

“You’re still on the lookout for the Angel?” He asked, incredulous and she clicked the seventh CCTV recording of the day to scan. “I thought you were over this!”

“I am!” Sasha replied, defensive, “But, the Martian government still has a hit on him, so, I have to keep searching.”

“Can’t you just…” Juno gestured vaguely, to which Sasha merely raised an eyebrow, “I don’t know, screw it up intentionally? I thought you liked the Angel.”

“I do, he’s done a lot of good for this city, and he’s made my job a hell of a lot easier. But I can’t just not do my job, Juno. I could get fired!”

“Dark Matters is overrated.” Juno huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned over Sasha. “Plus, you’ve hardly been working, you’re just pining after my best friend.”

“I-!” Sasha said, spitting out a mouthful of coffee as Juno smiled smugly. “I’m not pining!”

“Sash, you’ve been listening to ‘Strawberry Blond’ on repeat for an hour.”

“..Ok, fine! Maybe I’m pining! A little!” She crossed her arms, pouting like a spurned child, and Juno laughed.

“I thought things were looking up?”

“They were!” She sighed, “I thought we were on a similar page, we even went out for lunch today! But then Mick showed up and Rita didn’t even say anything!” She groaned, leaning her head against the countertop. “I’m hopeless, aren’t I?”

“Nah, you’ll be fine.” Juno smiled, almost genuinely this time. “Trust me, she likes you too.”

“Oh, what do you know?” Sasha glared up at him, “You’re hardly a dating expert.”

“I am so!” Juno protested, “I’m a real heartbreaker.”

“Ok, that is a complete lie.”

“You called dashingly handsome once!”

“We were five!”

“From the mouths of babes, Sash.”

She actually laughed a little that time, and Juno beamed in earnest. They’d had a rough patch a few years ago, back when Juno let Diamond define his life, but now, he was happy to say that Sasha Wire was his friend.

“Seriously, though.” She said, her smile half fond, half teasing. “I’m way closer to getting a date than you. You need to get out more, Steel.”

“I’m fine, Sash.” Juno groaned.

“You and I both know that’s a fib.” She replied, giving him one of her ‘looks’. “I know things didn’t work out with ‘Sandra-,”

“It was a mutual understanding!”

“-And things are different after Diamond-,”

“We don’t have to worry about them anymore, it’s all fine!”

“-But,” She continued, “Even if you won’t admit it, you’re lonely. You’re tired, and hey, maybe having someone special could help ease the load.”

“I hardly have time for school and work, Sash.” Juno said, as he unloaded a new box of coffee beans. “Where am I going to find a date?”

“Who knows? Maybe the perfect person will just, I don’t know? Fall from the sky? Walk through the door?” Sasha gestured vaguely as if flailing would make her point more coherent.

“Maybe stick to Dark Matters for now, Sash, you’re not gonna do very well as a life coach.” Juno quipped, smirking as Sasha flipped him off.

She left a few minutes later, blushing as Rita gushed over her and Juno stared on smugly. Just cause his love life was boring as hell, doesn’t mean he couldn’t be happy for his friends, even if they were dumb pining idiots.

He and Rita spent the next hour or so laughing, joking and singing along to whatever songs were playing on the radio. Customers came and went, and they brought with them smiles and warm thank you’s and for a while, Juno felt at peace, like everything was gonna work out. But every now and then, his eyes drifted back to his sketchbook, where his mother's face was blank, like someone had carved it out of existence.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he realised Rita had been ranting about something for about a minute.

“-And it’s not like Alessandra or Francis are here, and we have to have two people on deck at all times! Who’ll prep the macarons? The brownies? Who’ll save my cobbler?” She bit her nails as she paced the cafe. “Should I just email the professor and tell ‘em I can’t make it?”

“What? No way!” Juno grabbed her bag up and handed it to her. “I’ll man the cafe by myself.”

“Wait, really?” Rita squealed, jumping up to hug Juno. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Mistah Steel!”

“It’s no big deal, Rita.” He shrugged, “Rush hours over, you’ve got class and I’ve worked here for years, it’ll be fine.”

“You sure you got this?” She asked, as she made her way towards the door. Juno turned to grab a couple of cups to prep for customers.

“I think I can handle a customer or two by myself, Rita.”

“If you’re sure, Mistah Steel!” She called, one last time, before heading out the door.

“Go to class, Rita, I’ll be fine.” 

Juno turned around to start the next brew, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure duck into a booth. The man had sharp cheekbones and a killer sense of style, and despite the strangers best efforts to not be seen, Juno felt a weird sense of familiarity in seeing them.

“Hey, you ok back there?” Juno called out, and the stranger froze. Juno was confused, why would this guy come to a cafe if he just wanted to hide? 

“You’ve been pretty quiet since you came in…” Juno continued, trying to coax the guy out into the light. “Is the mysterious customer not even going to order anything?”

The mystery man cleared his throat before getting up and speaking; 

“I’m terribly sorry, I just, well, I’m new in town and I’m afraid I haven’t quite gotten used to this new environment.”

“Well,” Juno chuckled, that made sense, the guy was just nervous, and if you’re new in Hyperion, who wouldn’t be? “On behalf of one Hyperion local, welcome to Hyperion! So what, you’re here for business, or…?”

“Yes!” The guy called, voice breaking slightly, “Yes, I’m here for my new job. I work for Brahma Corp.”

Juno scowled despite himself and the man flinched. “Be careful around there, you can’t trust any of the richer folk in this city.”

“Well, I feel like we should give them the benefit of the doubt.” The guy said uncertainly, standing next to the counter, “Besides, what do we know about the Uptown types?”

“I would know, I was one of the Uptown types.” Juno stepped up to the register, “What can I get you?”

“Ah, just a black coffee, thank you.” The guy followed hima s he moved to make the drink. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you working in a coffee shop?” Juno simply raised an eyebrow at him, “Since you used to be an Uptown type, I don’t know, you don’t need to tell me-” The man stammered.

“No, no, don’t worry.” Juno chuckled. What the hell? He needed to vent a little, and the mystery guy was cute, I mean, nice enough. “I was adopted, and lemme tell you, the Hyperion foster care system? Fucked as hell. So I grew up wanting to be a cop, right? Wanted to make sure no kid had to go through the same shit I did. And don’t get me wrong, I love my mom’s, but the families I was with before them? Worst years of my life. Then, I learned that, surprise! The rich all want to make you suffer and the cops don’t give two shits about you as long as they get a good payday. So I joined my brother in art school and I bond with this other kid who just quit being a secretary at the HCPD. We become best friends, she inherits a patissiere from her uncle, I get a job where I don’t have to work for my parents, everyone wins.”

“That’s… quite the life story.” The guy said after a minute, nodding slowly.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Juno smiled up at the stranger. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, I’ll-” The stranger reached for his wallet, only for Juno to put a hand over his. Maybe Sasha had a point, what was the harm in a little flirting?

“No, no.” He winked, and mentally high-fived himself when the stranger blushed. “On the house. Welcome to Hyperion, stranger.”

“Thanks, I’ll- uh.. Yeah.” The stranger stammered and before Juno could get a word or a phone number in edgewise, he was gone.

“Well,” He said to no one in particular. “That was a thing.”

He spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with customers, agonizing over his sketch and clearing up the cafe. By the time Rita got home, they decided to binge some old episodes of the Second Citadel and then call it a night. If you could call 5:32 am a night. Juno had just packed up his stuff in the bathroom when he was sitting on his bed, staring at the blank space on the sketchbook, wondering how to fill it, why he should even bother, when he got the call.

His comms rang and he saw Cecil’s face for the first time in weeks. When he picked up all he could hear were his brother’s sobs.

“Cece?” He asked, jumping up from the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Juno, I-” Cecil sobbed from the other end of the line. “Daddy, he-... Juno!”

“Cecil,” Juno said, trying to calm his brother down. “Where are you right now?”

“V- Volaris Street.” Cecil stammered, and Juno took a deep breath.

“Come inside ok? I’ll meet you downstairs.”

A few minutes later Cecil burst into the Penumbra, making a beeline straight for Juno.

“Dad, he’s-” He sobbed, “He’s gone, Junebug!”

They sat like that for hours in the cafe, Rita bringing Cecil cups of tea, Juno letting Cecil cry into his shoulder. Juno had never loved Croesus like the twins, but he couldn’t help feel like a part of him had died too, another part of his family he’d never get back.

“I’m sorry,” Cecil sniffed, rubbing his eyes gently, “It’s just-... Cass locked herself in her room and Min’s dealing with business stuff and I-”   
  
“Hey,” Juno wrapped an arm around his brother, “I’ve got your back… that’s what family is for.”

Ben arrived an hour later, and around 9:45 am, Ben and Cecil left for Kanagawa Manor. Juno decided to take a nap. He’d probably have slept through the rest of the day, if Rita hadn’t woken him up at 2:30 pm.

“Uh, Mr. Steel?” She called from downstairs, “There’s someone here to see you? Says he needs to talk about Mr. Kanagawa.”

Shit. Had the press reached him this soon? Had they gotten to Cass and Cecil already? Juno locked eyes on the window and sprung up, quickly unlocking it, as he heard the footsteps outside the door.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” He pried the window open and managed to climb halfway out before he heard the door open.

“Ah, Mr. Steel! How lovely to meet you at last…” The man in the doorway broke off and Juno couldn’t tell who was more surprised to see the other. Standing behind him, was the Angel of Hyperion.


	7. maybe it was me or maybe it was you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta say, of all the ways Juno had pictured himself dying, getting thrown out of a window by a superhero wasn’t one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two notes!
> 
> 1) the AU version of Murderous Mask follows the og version because I simply do not vibe with 2 Murderous 2 Mask (fuck 2m2m, all my homies hate 2m2m)  
> 2) The POV's switch around a bit this chapter and I think it's clear enough to tell but idk lemme know if I should edit it

Peter’s expectations for their meeting were low as it was, but even he had to admit that walking in on Juno trying to clamber out his 4th storey window wearing pajamas and no shoes was a little more… unusual than he’d expected.

It was a last resort, of course. Peter had failed to acquire Miasma’s mask, and now he’d need someone on the inside to help him get in and take it once and for all. Cecil was far too obnoxious to work with, Cassandra would’ve thrown him out her window before he’d have even gotten a word in, and Nova had some charity function to attend in Olympus.

So here he was, in Juno Steel’s doorway. He’d admit, Juno wasn't exactly the last person he’d want to see right now. Nova had made as much clear in her constant teasing. He’d spent almost every minute before and after his failed heist stalking- I mean  _ researching _ Juno Aurinko - Steel. An honors art student at Hyperion Institute Of The Arts, a prodigy from the looks of it, probably inherited some of his late mother's creative streak. He’d also participated in a competitive shooting match last year, district and state champion. An unexpected combo but not unwelcome in Peter’s line of work.

But what intrigued him the most were Juno’s portraits. Everything from sketches he’d found on various Instagram pages, to his full-fledged paintings on the institute’s website, they were nothing short of mesmerizing. Not only were they technically and aesthetically gorgeous, but just by looking at them, Peter felt as though he’d known the subject their whole life. A lady walking in the park with her dog, seemingly happy, but in her eyes, there was worry, stress, and around her head, a grey halo. A homeless man who was hunched over, a drunkard from the likes of it, but in his hand, there was a crumpled photo of a little girl, his granddaughter probably, and the longing with which he looked at it, and her face reflected in his eyes… Whether intentional or not, Juno seemingly had a talent for analyzing the people and the world around him. Had he been anyone but an Aurinko he’d probably have made a fine detective.

And so, after his curiosity got the better of him and he weighed the pros and cons, here Peter was, standing in awe of Juno Steel, who still somehow managed to look breathtaking in old flannel and tights halfway out his own window. They stood there perfectly still for a few seconds, Juno frozen mid window, Peter’s staring on in shock. He managed to snap himself out of his surprise and laughed uneasily.

“Well,” He chuckled, walking towards Juno, “I’d heard they did things differently around these parts but I’d never have expected…”

“You’re the Angel of Hyperion…” Juno muttered, eyes still wide, “In my room. The Angel. of Hyperion.”

“That I am,” Nureyev smirked, regaining his cool, “Is there room in that window for two, perchance?”

Juno cleared his throat and straightened himself out quickly. “I- It's not a-” He shook his head and glared up at Peter, “Why the hell are you in my house?”

“I do believe it is Ms. Rita’s house, no?” Peter replied, “Not to worry, she’s been taken care of.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean-?”

“I haven’t killed her, if that’s what you're asking.” Peter deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest, “I simply asked her to stay downstairs for a few minutes so that you and I could have a proper conversation.”

“About what exactly?” Juno shot back, his demeanor completely different than it had been the day before. The mystery coffee stranger hadn't been a threat, but the Angel of Hyperion certainly seemed like one.

“Nothing much…” Peter nonchalantly picked up one of Juno’s many crumpled up sketches. “What do you know about the Death Mask Of Grimpoteuthis?”

Juno scoffed. “More than I’d like… Croesus Kanagawa picked it up from Olympus Mons, a few weeks ago, the Olympus government wasn’t too happy about it, what more is there to know?”

“Well, you of all people should know that this morning Croesus was found sticking out of said Death Mask?” Juno’s eyes grew wide, and he grimaced as Peter smirked. “That seems significant, no?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Juno hissed, arms crossed as he leaned on his desk.

“Oh, please,” Peter rolled, “Be a dear and spare me the false ignorance. Just because it hasn’t been published in any streams or magazines doesn’t mean that a member of the Kanagawa family wouldn’t know, right?”

“I haven’t been a part of that family for years.”

“And yet, Cecil Kanagawa was seen leaving your house earlier this very day. And you’re a frequent feature on the Kanagawa twin’s many social media accounts.” Peter smiled at Juno as he reached for his hand. “My dear, I’ve a rather time sensitive mission to deal with, so if we could skip the pleasantries…?”

Juno sighed, recoiling from Peter’s hand and walking across the room. “Fine. Yes, I’m still in touch with the Kanagawas. Yes, Croesus is dead.” he glared straight into Peter’s masked eyes. “That still doesn’t explain why you’ve suddenly just shown up in my room, uninvited and unannounced.”

“Ah yes,” Peter said, folding his hands as he paced the room. “As you know, Croesus was devoured by the mask last night at approximately 1:30 am. He was found at approximately 3 am. And of course, the Kanagawas are conducting their own investigations so as to be discreet.” He tilted his head slightly to look at Juno, “Tell me, Juno, what do you know about the curse of Grim’s mask?”

“I know that it’s a load of bullshit.” Juno scoffed, “I hardly think an ancient occult force is what killed Croesus.”

“Humor me, my dear.”

“I’m not ‘your dear’.” Juno shot back, pausing for a second to glare at Peter. When Peter only raised an eyebrow in response, he sighed and continued, “The curse says that whoever steals it from it’s resting place will receive the wrath of a thousand angels or something, right? It’s a myth, it wasn’t divine retribution or anything, it was just arrogance.”

“I see there’s no love lost between you and Croesus,” He smiled when that actually got a smirk from Juno. Juno must’ve realized that Peter had noticed, probably because Peter was smiling like an idiot, because in a second the scowl was back. “But that brings us to the problem, does it not? If not for the curse, the Kanagawas will be looking for someone to blame for his death...”

Juno was silent for a few seconds before asking; “Wait, did you murder Croesus?”

“No!” Peter cried, raising his hands in defense, “Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know, it’s not exactly out of character!” Juno replied. Ok, that one stung, and it must’ve shown on Peter’s face, because Juno’s glare softened when Peter replied.

“Contrary to popular belief,” Peter said, his voice cold and cruel, “I don’t go around killing people for no good reason.”

“I-” Juno started, maybe to apologize, maybe to chastise him further, Peter didn’t want to know.

“The point is that I do not have the best record with the Kanagawas.” He cut Juno off, and walked across the room to stand next to him. “And I was patrolling the area around the same time. Because I was in the wrong place and the wrong time, the poor word choice of the curse, and because the Kanagawas will take any opportunity to take me down, I need to prove my innocence.”

“So, what?” Juno asked, looking up at Peter. “You want to play detective and solve a murder?”

“Yes, exactly,” Peter said, leaning down to smile at Juno before walking towards the door, “See? You’re catching on.”

“Woah, woah, slow down.” Juno said, his hands on his hips, good lord, Juno had nice hands… Not the time, Nureyev. “How do you even know it was a murder?”

“Well, I hardly think Croesus stuck his own head inside the mask, now did he?” Peter quipped, which only earned him rolled eyes from Juno.

“And even if it was, why do you need me?” Juno asked, as Peter picked up a pair of heeled boots and a coat.

“As much as I like to work alone, you’re my only ticket into Kanagawa mansion.” He shot Juno a wicked smile. “Now, are you ready to go?”

“I mean, ...I guess? What’re you-?”

That was the last thing Juno got to say before Peter pushed him out of the window.

~+~

Gotta say, of all the ways Juno had pictured himself dying, getting thrown out of a window by a superhero wasn’t one of them. Juno had pictured a cold ditch in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a warm ditch, if he was being optimistic.

As Juno fell through the air, he screamed, or at least he thought he did. He couldn’t hear it over the rush of the air. After a few seconds he felt two strong arms wrap around his shoulders and his waist. He tentatively opened his eyes to see the Angel of Hyperion above him, smiling that damningly infuriating smile. It was actually pretty cool for a second, like something out of one of Rita’s streams.

Then Juno started screaming again.

“Would you-!” The Angel yelled, trying to dodge Juno’s hands, “Stay? Still!”

“I don’t know, why don’t throw me out of another window and see?” Juno shot back, “I’m not even wearing proper clothes!”

“You’ll be fine.” The Angel grumbled.

“Do you do this often?” Juno yelled, “Kidnap unsuspecting ladies and force them to solve murders with you?”

The Angel opened his mouth to respond, before turning his head and yelling, “Close your eyes!”

Juno whipped his head around to see a gigantic billboard ahead of them, and he barely had a chance to scream or yell something at the Angel, before he felt the Angel toss him up into the air. Juno definitely screamed then, but only for a moment before he landed back in the Angel’s arms, this time wrapping his arms around the Angel’s neck and holding on for dear life.

“Put me down! Put me down! Put me down!” Juno shrieked.

If Juno had looked any closer at the Angel face he would’ve said he seemed concerned, maybe even fond. Either way he must’ve taken pity on him because he set them down on the roof of the Orion skyscraper a few seconds later. Juno took a deep breath, glad to be out of the air, before turning around and screaming at the Angel.

“What the hell was that?” He jabbed his finger right in the Angel’s chest, pleasantly surprised when the Angel actually moved back a little. “You couldn’t have given me five minutes? Or a goddamn door?”

“Need I remind you of our ever-decreasing time frame?” The Angel rolled his eyes, pushing Juno back slightly. “And I could hardly just waltz out the door, could I? I'd be arrested, you’d become a target, your friend would kill me in broad daylight, and I’d rather avoid all that.” He smiled, cheerful, and cold and calculating all at once. “Now, are you going to co-operate or not?”

“...Just give me my damn shoes.”

“Lovely. Now,” The Angel paced the roof while Juno put his shoes and coat on, “We’re going to go to Kanagawa mansion, you’ll vouch for me, we’ll analyze a crime scene, find a murderer, turn them in and be home by sun up!”

“You really think it’s going to be easy as all that?” Juno drawled and the Angel beamed.

“Absolutely! Give or take a few life-threatening perils.” He held out his hand to Juno, and after a moment’s deliberation, Juno took it. “Shall we?”

“Not yet,” Juno said, cocking his head to shoot the Angel a disdainful look. “I’m not just going to follow you into the dark blindly trusting that you aren’t going to kill me. I need something in return.”

The Angel smirked, “Anything you desire, my dear.”

“Your name.” Juno said after a moment and the Angel laughed, almost sadly. “I’m not going to call you ‘Angel’ through this whole ordeal.” 

“You can call me Rex Glass.” Juno frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That’s not your real name is it?”

“Indeed it is not.”

“You said anything.”

“Anything but that.” The Angel chuckled. “Of course, you’ve managed to find the one thing I can’t give.”

“Why not?” Juno asked, glaring at the Angel, who only smiled.

“I’m afraid that I never disclose my name to anyone, dear.” His gaze softened and he turned away, “It would take someone very special for me to give them my name.”

Juno scoffed and the Angel looked genuinely upset, and for a second, Juno actually pitied him. The Angel took his hands in his own and looked Juno straight in the eyes. Juno suddenly felt very short.

“Juno…” He practically whispered, and Juno became increasingly aware of how little space there was between them. “I know this isn't ideal, but please, you have to understand that I am desperate. I need you to trust me. I’m asking you to trust me.”

Juno felt like time was slowing down, he could feel the Angel’s heartbeat through his gloves, and under his visor, well, he couldn’t see much, but he could see his eyes… deep, dark eyes… When he’d first met him, the Angel had looked like everything the media told Juno he was, cunning, cruel, and not to be trusted. But those eyes… He didn’t know how the Angel did it. He seemed vulnerable, like if Juno said no, he’d leave right then and there and lay down to die, for a lady he’d known for all of 10 minutes. Juno didn’t know why but he wanted to trust this man, the hero he’d seen in the windows, the smile he’d flash to the camera and his eyes, his vulnerable eyes. He took a deep breath and pulled his hands back. For a moment, the Angel looked hurt.

“Ok, Glass.” He drew out the name and watched the Angel’s face light up. Then he watched it turn horrified as Juno stepped back and jumped off the building.

For a moment, Juno thought the Ang- Glass was going to let him fall, and well, at least he went out with a bang. He closed his eyes and he could almost hear the traffic below him, before he felt Glass’ arms wrap around him again. This time, he actually took a moment to look at the Angel in all his glory, wings spread, eyes wide, and the sun leaving a small halo around his hair. If he wasn’t yelling at Juno, he’d have said he looked handsome.

“What were you thinking?” Glass cried, eyes wide and brows furrowed as Juno laughed. Juno tightened his arms around Glass’ neck and up close, yeah, he was definitely blushing. “You could’ve been killed! Don’t laugh at me, Juno!”

“I didn’t trust you not to drop me into traffic!” Juno said, still laughing. “Now I know that you won’t.”

“You’re impossible.” Glass grumbled and Juno smirked.

“I bet that’s what you tell all the pretty ladies.”

“Only the ones I kidnap.”

~+~

Peter jumped gently from roof to roof, soaring with ease, with Juno still in his arms. He had to admit, maybe he was being a bit more careless than he should be. But who could blame him? Every time they hit a bump or he made a rough turn, Juno would tighten his grip on him and... well, it wasn’t exactly unpleasant. He looked quite handsome like this, hair in the wind, eyes scanning the city below him, he even smiled a couple of times. Every time Juno did, Peter felt like he wouldn’t even need his wings to fly.

“Well, isn’t this exciting!” He exclaimed, setting Juno on the lawn of the Kanagawa estate and giving him a little twirl, “Off to solve a murder, to prove an ancient curse-”

“Disprove!” Juno cut in, and Peter’s smile only grew. He had to say, Juno’s bad attitude was slowly growing on him…

“-and despite all that I feel as though by the time we’re through I’ll have solved a far greater mystery;” He continued, jumping back to frame Juno’s face with his hands, pretending to be a camera, “Juno Steel! The Man! The Myth! The Legend! How intriguing!”

Juno rolled his eyes, more amused than annoyed. “Not much to solve, Glass. Now, are you coming, or …?”

He held the door open and they stepped into Kanagawa Mansion. The Kanagawas were infamous for their overly-showy, gaudy style and the manor certainly did not disappoint. They lived in one of the many gigantic mansions in Uptown. They had a saying down in one of Brahma Corp's many workshops, ‘Just look for the moon, then look for the bigger moon right next to it. That’s Kanagawas’. He thought it was more of a sun than a moon, what with it’s shiny exterior and overwhelming interior. They were shown in by a short man that looked like Croesus and handed off to a tall woman who looked like Croesus, she talked to two fat twins behind a desk who both looked like Croesus in order to get them keycards with Croesus’ face printed on them.

“The Kanagawas must really love this model.” Peter whispered to Juno as they entered the main hall, attracting only a couple weird stares, “They have so many of them.”

“Kanagawas breed like rabbits.” Juno scoffed, one hand in his pocket, the other gesturing as he spoke. “Which is to say that most of them don’t make it past sixteen but the ones that do are crafty, mean, and they’ll sell your arms straight off your body if they think they’ll get five creds for it.”

“What do they do, anyway, these Kanagawas?” Peter asked, looking back at one of the many glaring Croesus-clone guards. Juno shot him a look of utter disbelief.

“You’re kidding.”

“Oh, I know the broad facts.” Peter said, gesturing broadly with his hands, nearly knocking over Juno, “Stars of stream and screen by day, kings of the criminal underground by night! But that’s all textbook. I want to hear what it’s like down on the ground.” He pouted, laying one hand under his chin, and Juno smiled, ever so slightly. “Go on, regale me.”

“You got most of it.” Juno sighed, “Stars and kings... it’s a little much. Maybe three months ago, but these days-...”

“Show business moves quickly. Some can’t keep up.” Peter said plainly, but Juno shook his head.

“Cecil does alright, Cassandra, too, their stepmother’s a good coach. But still, I-” He paused as the approached the door, “Oh, we’re here.”

  
~+~

Juno watched as Glass opened the door to Croesus’ gallery. Juno had seen it a hundred times before, he, Ben, and the twins had gotten into loads of trouble for playing in there all the time. Even then, the artist in him had marveled at the hundreds of thousands of years of stories and history stored in those pieces, and it was clear Glass was doing the same thing now. When he stepped in his eyes blew wide and he let out a little gasp, the kind that would’ve been cute if it hadn’t been made by a lethal weapon. He ran around the room, spinning around and taking in all the sights, while Juno stood back and smiled.

“Incredible!” He said, taking a turn in the middle of the room, “Can you imagine? Hundreds of death masks, vaults, tombstones, sarcophagi, all staring you down?” He turned to face Juno, still laughing. “Perhaps it’s where he wanted to die all along.”

Juno must’ve been smiling or something because Glass seemed just a little smug. Juno quickly cleared his throat and said; “I don’t think Croesus expected to die at all.”

“You don’t think he planned it out even a little?”

“I don’t think anyone in their right mind does.” He deadpanned, and Glas went all fake-pouty again.

“You don’t take anything seriously, do you?” He said, tilting his head slightly, smiling softly.

“You got a problem with that?”

“Not at all.” Glass replied, tossing around a pen as he approached Juno, “I think it’s admirable.” He leaned over Juno, smiling, and good god, Juno hoped Glass couldn’t see him fluch through those glasses. “Standing up against the big, mean world, and laughing.”

They stood like that for a few moments, Glass’ hand inching closer and closer to Juno’s own, and Juno didn’t know why, but he felt a sudden urge to just lean in and up… He was being ridiculous, he’d known Glass, the Angel, for all of an hour, and yet… He couldn’t explain it but... every touch, every second of playful banter, of cautious yet reckless flirting just felt… right. Like Glass was someone he’d known all his life... He might’ve been taken aback by that, taken a second to consider it, if Cecil hadn’t barged in that second.

  
“Juno! You came!” He cried, crushing Juno in a hug, pushing him away from Glass, who stood up straight and cleared his throat. “Oh, I hope I wasn’t interrupting-...” Cecil began to speak before going silent, eyes wide and tone flat, “Juno. Why is this… man in my house. You know we like to keep these things private? Just the family?”

“Yeah, just you, the family, and 10 million viewers.” Glass muttered, and if Cecil hadn’t been there Juno would’ve laughed. Glass cleared his throat before smiling a fake smile, completely different from the one he’d given Juno, and addressing Cecil, “Mr. Kanagawa, I simply wish to examine the crime scene and aid in your investigation.”

“I wasn’t aware that double-homicide suspects aided the authorities.” Cecil shot back, and Juno knew he hadn’t imagined Glass flinching. He instinctively laid a hand on Cecil’s shoulder.

“He’s here to help, Cece,” He gave Cecil a small smile, “Scouts honor.”

Cecil looked like he might argue but led them down the hall nonetheless. “I’m… dreadfully sorry about all that security, Junebug, but you know how it is. We’re in a rather… difficult position right now…” He stopped by a desk and turned to glare at Glass for a second before speaking to Juno again. “Now, you two just need to do me a few favors, do you understand?” He glared at Glass, “The only reason you’re here is because Junebug has chosen to trust you and because we trust him, Mother especially. And we trust both of you to do one thing in particular: keep quiet.” He dropped several novels worth of forms on the desk. “Sign these.” 

Glass flipped through the forms incredulously. “Now, or in a month? I’ve seen novels shorter than this contract!” He was even more taken aback when he turned to Juno. “You signed it? Have you even read it?”

Juno sighed, “We both already signed it, Glass. It’s written on the first 

page of the guest book at the front door.” He turned to Cecil, “What was it you call this little number, Cece?”

Cecil smiled smugly, obviously pleased to have outsmarted the Angel. “The Kanagawa Special. Add one part confidentiality agreement, one part personal likeness rights, two parts owning the footage of everything you do inside these walls. Tell anyone about what you see here, agent, and your darkest secrets will be prime time specials every weeknight from now until the day you die.”

“I don’t think I like this man, Juno.” Glass whispered to Juno as Cecil walked away. Juno smirked and whispered back;

“He’s not even the worst one.”

“Oh, do hold me.” Glass whimpered. Juno simply rolled his eyes, grabbed Glass’ hand and dragged him into the end of the hall.

“This is it.” Cecil said softly, fingers tracing the edge of the door, “Promise me one thing, Junebug?”   


“‘Course.” Juno smiled playfully, but Cecil only grimaced.

“Be careful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you tell that I cannot write a good slow-burn for the life of me???


	8. the moon controls the tide, it could cause you to drown

Juno and Glass stepped into the room and Juno nearly gagged. Croesus’ corpse was sticking out of a glass box, with what Juno wished was red paint covering nearly all of it’s inside’s.

“Eugh,” He shook his head as he walked around the case, “What the hell is that on Croesus’s face?”

Glass chuckled, eyes wide, gaping at the scene. “You’re joking.”

“Maybe. I won’t know until you say the punchline.”

Glass beamed, far too happy for someone looking at a corpse. “Juno, that’s the mask. The Death Mask of Grimpoteuthis!”

It didn’t look like any kind of mask Juno had ever seen. It had more in common with a folding lawn chair; a big bronze-colored mess crumpled up where Croesus Kanagawa’s face was supposed to be. If there was a head crammed in there, it probably didn’t look much like a head anymore. Juno was actively wishing that the Angel hadn’t caught him on his deep dive off the Orion Tower.

Glass reached into the case and the mask snapped open like an accordion. It made a horrible squelching sound as it did, like a pufferfish that had swallowed an accordion that was also a guillotine and four grenades. It had three little masks across three little heads, each with too many eyes and noses to count. As for Croesus… well, the thing had tried to split his one head into three small ones. And succeeded.

Juno didn’t know how Glass did it, walking around the case, examining it so closely. Just looking at it for more than five seconds made Juno want to puke. Instead, he looked around the small room. He remembered it vaguely from his time with the Kanagawas, it had been the old nursery. In the corner of the room, he could see the desk that had belonged to Calliope, their old nanny. He approached it carefully, doing his best to leave it exactly as it was. He combed through the drawers and found a small photo. 

He couldn’t help but smile a little bit as he looked at it. It was an old photo of him, Ben, Cass, Cecil and Sasha. Sash had been the only ‘commoner’ Croesus would let into the house, and even she was barely acceptable. They’d been playing in the garden when Cal had taken it, Juno and Cass covered in dirt, Cecil giggling, Ben making a silly face, Sasha looking on in fond exasperation, and Min fuming in the background. It had been a couple of weeks before Cal had ‘disappeared’. Juno had always known that Croesus only thought of him and Ben as a publicity stunt, a charity quota, and he made sure no one in his family got too close to them. Cass and Cece were the exception of course, but he couldn’t stop them from bonding with the only other children around. Min had always been a little fond of them, but Cal, she really loved them. She’d braid their hair and sing them to sleep and she’d mend their wounds. She was the closest thing they’d gotten to actual parenting from the Kanagawas.

Juno sighed, flipping the photo over, and dropping it back into the drawer. Cal had been out of line, and Croesus didn’t tolerate imperfection, god knows Cass had the tales to prove it. Cal had been his own cousin, and Croesus didn’t even hesitate. Their next nanny was nowhere near as nice and they’d left before they’d ever gotten another. 

Juno gave the photos one last glance and shoved the drawer shut.

~+~

Peter turned to glance up at Juno as he slammed the drawer shut. He didn’t know what he’d seen, but Juno seemed… wistful almost. As if there was something in this old house worth remembering. Peter didn’t know whether or not to agree.

“You want to stop drooling over the mask so we can look around?” Juno said, crossing his arms over his chest as he walked towards Peter. If he hadn’t known Juno was in a bad mood, Peter would’ve probably been a little hurt by the cold tone of his voice. Instead, he just smiled.

“No need, I’ve completed my investigation.”

Juno scoffed. “There’s a fine line between bluffing and hallucinating, Glass,” Peter relaxed a little as Juno’s usual snark returned to his demeanor. “And you passed it ten miles back.”

“Did I?” Peter smirked, circling Juno and the case as he spoke, “A completely cylindrical room and at its center, a perfectly cuboid display case. The case which, until last night, housed only Grim’s Mask. Its glass is smashed on one side, the mask is certainly the cause of death. If you look at what remains of the skull, you can see that the tearing line-”

“Stick to the room.” Juno cut him off with a wave of his hand, looking queasy, “For my sake.”

Peter fought back a fond smile. “In short, the mask killed him.” He walked to Juno’s side, leaning in over his shoulder to look at the case, “But I doubt it did so without assistance.”

“So you think someone took it out, shoved it onto his head, and then shoved his head in the case?” Juno asked, looking at Peter skeptically.

“That wouldn’t be necessary.” Peter smiled down at Juno, tracing a finger over the glass, “A really, incredible polymer, this Martian mask. It changes to assume the shape of what it contains. One hard push from any direction would be enough for it to swallow the victim whole. Oh, and there’s one last thing;” He stood up straight and turned to Juno, “the killer’s name.”

“That metal can tell you all that?” Juno raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not, dear,” Peter tapped the glass twice, gesturing to Juno, “She’s left her signature inside the case. Take a peek.”

“Arya Atwood.” Juno murmured under his breath, brow furrowing ever so slightly. 

“Does that name ring any bells, Juno?” Peter leaned in over Juno’s shoulder as he looked down. Juno clenched his fist and turned to face Peter.

“All the wrong ones.” He stretched his chin, leaning on the old desk as he spoke. “Triad left it, it’s their bosses’ code name. They sign it at the site of all their big, political murders. It’s kind of a calling card.” He looked up and his eyes went wide, as if he was suddenly aware of how close he and Peter were standing. To be fair, neither had Peter, and he jumped back slightly as Juno stood up straighter and cleared his throat. “That- That was a pretty good investigation, Glass.” He rubbed his neck gently, giving Peter that trademark half-there, half-gone smile. “Color me impressed.”

Peter beamed. “It won’t be the last time, I promise you.”

“It’s not everything though.” Juno walked past Peter to gesture to the case again. Peter chuckled nervously.

“Well, I suppose I did skip a few details I found trifling.” Please don’t mention the thing, please don’t mention the thing... “But if you’d like to talk about the wallpaper patterns, by all means. “

“The display case.” Shit. “You said it was smashed.”

“It is.” Peter tried, hoping that maybe Juno would let it go. But Juno merely shook his head and continued.

“Broken into, maybe, but not smashed” Juno traced a finger in the air alongside the hoel in the case, “The cut is perfectly circular, the broken glass is all on the inside, see? Now, I haven’t done glass work in a long time, but it looks like someone cut into the glass and then pushed Croesus through it.” Juno shifted, as if he’d remembered something important and uncomfortable. “I need to find Cass…”

“Why don’t you go talk to her and I’ll conduct my investigation on Grim’s Mask here?” Peter asked. This was his chance, grab the mask, bid adieu to Juno and get the hell out here. But evidently Juno was having none of it.

“Kanagawa Manor isn’t the kind of place you want to be alone in, Glass.” He started to walk towards Peter and the door. “We go together.”

“But I should really-”

Juno cut him off and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room. “We’ll pack up the mask and bring it back to my place or... whatever underground bunker you came from. You can look at it there.”

Peter was very glad that Juno was turned away from him and thereby couldn’t see him blush. “Oh, alright.” He groaned, “But I’ve never been good at waiting, Juno. You’d 

better keep me entertained.”

They walked down the various hallways of Kanagawa manor until they reached a black door. There were several old kids drawings plastered on the door, the most notable a ‘NO BOYS ALLOWED POSTER’ a smaller ‘YES YOU CECIL’ poster, and a third “BUT NOT YOU BEN’ poster. Juno gave the door a once over before turning to Peter and saying; “You stay out here, Glass.” He tilted his head, probably thinking of one of the many times Cassandra had thrown a shoe at a stranger. It had happened to Peter thrice. “Cassandra can get a bit... testy.”

It was nothing unreasonable but Peter still fake-pouted for humor’s sake. “Oh, how dull. You never introduce me to your friends.”

Juno ignored him, rolling his eyes. “Open up. It’s the police.” He deadpanned, knocking thrice on the door.

Cassandra Kanagawa threw the door open, the only Kanagawa Peter had seen all day who looked genuinely happy to see Juno. She leaped out and threw her arms around Juno’s neck. Juno patted her awkwardly on the back.

“Juno, you’re here! Finally!” Cassandra smiled widely as she fisted her hands in her sibling’s coat.

**“** Good to see you too, Cass.” Juno drew back to smile at her. She gave him a once over and laughed.

“Geez, you look terrible. What happened?” She sneered, “You let someone test their jackhammer on your face?”

“Nah.” He tilted his head in Peter’s direction and smirked. “Got thrown out of a window in my pajamas and was forced to join a murder investigation.”

“Yeah, I was wondering what was up with the spook.” Cassandra made a face, waving her hand in front of Peter’s face. “These are not the droids you are looking for!”

“Duly noted.” Peter responded flatly. Turns out that even in hero form, he still didn’t get along with any of the Kanagawas.

“Don’t mind him, Cass,” Juno said, patting Cassandra on the shoulder. “He’s all bark, no bite.”

“I can hear you, you know.”

Once again, Juno ignored him and spoke to Cassandra. “Let’s talk about this inside. Rex?” He turned to Peter, and smiled slightly. Peter smiled in response. “Stay here.” Peter was no longer smiling.

“As you wish…” He sighed.

“Great!” Cassandra beamed. She grabbed Juno and slammed the door in Peter’s face. 

“Well…” Peter said to no one after a moment. “She seems lovely as ever…”

~+~

“Where’d you find this one?” Cassandra cackled as they stepped into her room.

  
“Fell in through the roof.” Juno said absentmindedly, scanning the room. The place was in complete disarray, papers strewn everywhere, half her clothes on the bed, he was pretty sure that was a sword sticking out of the ceiling. “What’s with the mess?”

“I’m packing and getting outta here. I’ve had enough of this place.” She said, as if it were as simple as that.

Juno frowned and sat next to her on the bed. “Is that really the best idea?” When she gave him a disdainful look, he threw his hands up in surrender and continued. “I get it, I get it! You wanna leave, I don’t blame you. But, there’s a whole murder investigation going on, and… I don’t know, isn’t that kind of suspicious? You’ve always wanted to leave, what’s the rush now?”

“If I tell you the story,” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Will you get off my back?”

“If your story’s good enough, sure.” Juno smirked, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Just like old times...

“Fine.” She groaned, standing up and twirling slightly before turning to Juno. “Croesus finally agreed not to renew my contract.”

“Wait,” Juno’s eyes went wide and Cass smirked, “Really?” 

“Really.” She mimicked his voice, beaming.

Juno laughed, incredulously, “I thought your shows were worth too much for him to let you go?”

“They are! He just got sick of hearing about it, I guess.” She replied, and Juno let out another laugh.

“Cass, that’s amazing!” He paused for a second, gears turning in his head, “Wait, if you’re free, why are we here and not out on a cruise somewhere celebrating and drinking mimosas?” He asked, frowning at Cass as she rubbed her neck awkwardly.

“I was supposed to get out of here next week,” She sighed, “Croesus croaking like that causes a lot of trouble for me, Juno, and besides…”

“Besides what?” Juno asked, cautiously.

“I- ...I never got it in writing.” Cass said, and god, she looked so… defeated. Juno hated it, even after his death Croesus managed to keep her in her cage.

“Oh…” Juno took one of his sister’s hands, “I- I’m sorry, Cass, I really am.”

She shook her head slightly and fixed Juno with that cold and cocky stare of hers. “Alright,” She sighed, “You asked me a question, now I get to ask you one. Verbal contracts, they worth anything?”

“About as much as the air they’re written on.” 

Cassandra punched Juno in the arm, chastising him. “Be serious!”

“I don’t joke, Cass.” Juno said, simply. “The universe does it for me.”

“Fine,” Cass huffed, still frowning at Juno, “Then I get out of here. Run off to one of the far arms of the galaxy or whatever. What do you think my odds are?”

“Of escaping the Kanagawas and their cameras?” Juno asked, cocking an eyebrow, “Pretty high.”

For a second, Cassandra seemed hopeful. “Really?”

“Yeah. When you explode on the way there won’t be much left to film.” Cassandra made a strangled noise and Juno continued, “Think about this, Cass. Your family has a few thousand creds on every port running off Hyperion.”

“Knock it off, Juno! You’re going too far.” Cassandra yelled, blinking back tears. 

“So you’ll look for a hobbyist willing to take you out to Neptune or somewhere, someone who won’t sell you out for even the ten trillion creds you’re worth-”

“You always do this, you-!”

“Should be easy to find you just gotta find someone who doesn’t like money and someone who doesn’t have eyes-”

“You come in here, pretending you care, but you don’t care about anyone but yourself, do you?”

“Fine!” Juno yelled back, “Long story short, you’re stuck. You’re going to be rotting away in this nuthouse for a long, long time.”

“Well,” Cassandra cried, “We’ll see who rots first!” She pulled out a blaster from underneath her bed, and Juno jumped back slightly. Had Glass been here with him, he’d have freaked, but Juno was used to Cassandra’s short temper.

That’s one hell of a teddy bear,” Juno snarked, “You sleep with that thing?”

“I trusted you, Juno!” She yelled, still pointing the blaster at his head, “I trust you with everything, Cecil too! And you just… make a joke of it all! You’re family, for fucks sake! You’re supposed to help us!”

Juno sighed, “Keep packing, Cass.” He turned away from her, as she lowered the blaster, and walked towards the door, “Gl- The Angel and I should have this wrapped up by tomorrow afternoon. You can’t go to the outer arms, but that’s not the only place to hide. I’ll find you one when this is through. This time tomorrow, you’ll be out of here, Cass. I always keep my promises.”

He paused in the doorway as Cass began to laugh.

“You really expect me to believe that?” She said, glaring at his back.

Juno chuckled, part fond, part sad. “I don’t need you to.”

He didn’t like to rile Cassandra up like that, really he didn’t. But he had to know. The girl had a trigger finger with the chickenpox and Juno knew it wouldn’t take much for her to pull out what she had. He stepped out into the hallway and saw Glass. He was leaning against the wall and tossing around a knife. Something about it all… Whatever it was, Juno was happy to see him. Glass stood up straighter and started to walk alongside him.

“Well, Juno?” He asked, 10 times cheerier than Juno felt. “Is she our lucky lady?”

“Don’t think so.” Juno shrugged, “She pulled a blaster on me.”

“And that doesn’t make you... suspicious?” Glass asked, sounding genuinely worried. It was a pleasant thought. Juno only scoffed.

“You and I both know that if she wanted to kill Croesus, she wouldn’t have needed to go through all that trouble with the mask. That gun could make a hole big enough to throw a golf ball through without touching any of the sides.”

“Well,” Glass said after a moment, “At least that’s one suspect of the list.”

“Yeah…” Juno muttered, before clearing his throat. “Ok, let’s look for Min.”

~+~

It was just as well that Cassandra was no longer a suspect. Peter and she had never gotten along, but he knew that Juno had adored her as kids, and it was obvious that he still did, even after that shouting match Peter had heard through the wall. Of course, he wanted to prove his innocence, but he didn’t want it to come at Juno’s, or any innocent person’s, expense.

They tried to find Min, but she was nowhere in sight. So, Peter tried to charm the guards, and when that failed, Juno got Cecil to vouch for him and they got the hell out of there.

“Well, off to a secret Triad base!” Peter declared as they walked out of the Kanagawa mansion, smirking at Juno, “Excited, Juno?”

“Not really,” Juno rolled his eyes, “Isn’t this like standard stuff for you, Glass?”

“Not afraid of a few gangsters, are you?” Peter asked playfully.

Juno scoffed defensively. “Course not.”

Peter chuckled, holding his hand out to Juno. “Why don’t you prove it to me then? Show me how brave you are, my dear.” 

Juno hesitated for a second, then took it. Peter quickly took off, wrapping his other arm around Juno’s waist as they took off into the sky, Juno’s arm around his neck.

~+~

Juno had to hand it to Glass. He had a nice voice. Good cologne too. The kind you didn’t notice until he came really, really close. Now, as they soared through the sky, Juno became painfully aware of that cologne…

They floated over the various buildings of Hyperion, Juno looked out over the city, and he could’ve sworn he could see them all. Rita, clearing up after some customer’s in the Penumbra, worrying about Juno, with Ben, Mick, and Sasha at her side. Alessandra, lying on her couch watching a stream on her laptop. Buddy, Vespa and Jet eating dinner in the fancy dining room of Aurinko Manor, god, Juno had always hated that room. The table was too long, and it gave him weird mafia vibes. He’d always preferred their family dinners in the living room, him and Ben bundled up on the couch, Buddy next to Juno, Jet with Ben, and Vespa next to Buddy on the end. They’d spend hours watching corny movies and laughing, or a mystery that Buddy and Juno would solve half-way through, which always annoyed Ben. He missed those dinners… He missed his family.

“So,” He said, pulling himself out of his thoughts. “Where are we headed?”

“The Triad has two primary exports running out of Hyperion;” Glass said, hopping off one roof and gliding onto the next, “Corpses and chow mein. I highly doubt we’ll find our target in the morgue, so we’re going to dinner.”

~+~

The ‘Triple Threat’ wasn’t anything out of the ordinary really. There must’ve been a hundred places in Hyperion City that looked exactly like it. Big golden gate in the front, strings of Christmas lights along the wallpaper, head of the previous owner mounted over the bathroom doors. It was all by design. The Triad knew who they were dealing with, so they made sure their patrons knew it as well, creating a perfect mix of nostalgia and good old fashioned fear.

  
It was absolutely hideous. But then again, who was Peter to judge? He spent his days flying around town in a white suit.

“Why anyone has any fondness for this type of interior design,” He said, as he held the door open for Juno, “I will never understand.”

“Gee, say that a little louder,” Juno teased, “I don’t think everyone in the kitchen heard you.”

A waiter emerged from the backroom, and smiled at them, “Ah, Mr. Glass!” He beamed as Peter frowned, “Here you are at last. We’ve been expecting you. And you’ve brought a guest! Right this way, please, right this way. We’ve a table ready for you and the chefs are already preparing your usual.”

“Well,” Juno chuckled, “Horrible decor, great service. How often do you come here, Glass?”

“Juno,” He muttered into Juno’s ear as the waiter turned away, “I’ve never been here before.”

Juno tensed slightly, his arm still looped in Peter’s, “I’m guessing you didn’t call ahead? Or recycle that alias?”

  
Peter shook his head, “Whoever was working for the Triad, they told them we were coming.”

The waiter simply smiled at them and gestured to their seats. “Your table, gentlemen.”

“I see you’ve saved us the best seat in the house.” Juno glared at him, “The one surrounded by all the other, completely empty best seats.”

He wasn’t wrong, Peter could count at least 7 other empty tables in the room. The waiter’s cheery facade dropped for a second, before he plastered that unsettling smile back on.

“We thought a more... intimate setting might please you.”

“We’re not here for intimate,” Peter said, “We’re here for your boss.”

“Well, if you’d like to see the manager, I can- ” The waiter began to speak before Peter cut him off.

“I think that you may have misunderstood.” His glare darkened and the poor waiter actually flinched for a second, “I asked for your boss, not your manager. Find whoever your manager’s manager calls his manager’s manager and you’ll be halfway to the man we’re looking for!”

“Well, I-!” The waiter stammered, “Just a moment, please…”

He practically ran into the backroom, and Juno shot Peter an amused glance.

“Interesting method, Glass.” He said as Peter pulled him a chair.

“With any luck, we won’t see him again. Middlemen depress me.” Peter replied, sitting down next to him.

“How do you plan to get to the manager, then?” Juno asked. Peter smirked.

“I don’t. I plan to eat my meal in peace, drink excessively, and wait for the manager to come to us. In the meantime,” He leaned in to face Juno, “I plan to get to know you.”

Juno scoffed, “Not much to learn.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.” Peter smiled, leaning back to drape one arm over Juno’s chair and gesturing with the other, as Juno looked on in amused silence, “Every human being upon this earth has plenty of depth, Juno. We are universes unto ourselves, each of us with billions of stars and uncountable variations.” Peter looked back towards Juno, cocking his head and smiling, “With numbers like that there can’t help but be a constellation or two.”

A second waiter emerged from the backroom, much younger and smaller than the first, though still twice Juno’s size. He carried a hastily labelled bottle of wine and wore a bright and extremely fake smile.

“Your wine.” He’d barely begun to pour the wine when Peter cut him off.

“You’ve forgotten your manners, sir!” He smiled, bright but direct, making sure that the waiter understood his meaning, “Aren’t you going to let us smell it?”

“But they told me-” The waiter spluttered, and Peter’s frown deepened

“Well, you’ve now been told otherwise!” He picked up the glass and looked at it disdainfully, “Interesting bouquet…” He turned to Juno, who still looked vaguely amused with the entire spectacle. ”Tell me, Juno, does balsamic vinegar pass for wine in these parts?”

“Depends on how desperate you are.”

“No different from anywhere else, then.” Peter sighed, before turning back to the waiter, “We will not be drinking this, sir.”

The waiter looked genuinely distressed, and Peter almost felt bad for him. Almost. “But, but, they told me-!”

“Well, you’ve been told otherwise! Are you a machine? Exercise some free will and do exactly as I say!” Peter exclaimed, as Juno stifled a laugh behind his hand, “Bring us another bottle!”

The waiter made some approximation of incoherent angry mumbling before stalking back to the kitchens. Peter simply smiled and turned back to Juno.

“What are your constellations then?”

“I’m happy to answer your questions, Glass,” Juno leaned on the table, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, “But first they need to make sense.”

“You have a very interesting name; Juno…” Peter said, “Like the goddess I assume? Protectors, mothers, guardians…?”

“Not sure that’s what Ma had in mind. Looked up the name once, turns out Juno had something of a mean streak, made a habit of killing her step-kids.”

“And do you?” Peter asked, “Have a mean streak?”

Juno chuckled, “Nope. Mom did, though. Never killed me but… I don’t know. Guess I never got a chance to find out just how mean Sarah Steel could get.”

“That’s too bad.” Peter said, “It'd be quite handy in a city like this. Ladies who know how to get mean every now and again.”

Before Juno could respond, the waiter returned, carrying a new, similarly shabby, bottle of wine. He dropped it simply on the table, before declaring in a dark tone;

“Wine.”

“Swill.” Peter replied swiftly, not turning away from Juno. “Goodbye.”

**“** You little-!” The waiter hissed, getting angry.

“You big!” Peter replied, waving the fuming waiter away, “Bye-bye now!”

~+~

Juno watched in benign amusement as the waiter groaned and shuffled away, Glass still looking too smug for his own good.

“How ‘bout Rex? Juno asked, “I’m assuming you put some thought into your name-of-the-day? That short for anything?”

Glass chuckled, “Nothing but itself. It means king, you know, in a language dead ten thousand years. “

“King Glass, huh?” Juno scoffed, “It’s kind of pretentious, don’t you think?

“I think it’s fitting.” Glass replied simply, “Powerful, confident, semi-divine.” He shot Juno a teasing smile, “And a king, of course, is always in need of a queen. The position is always open, Juno.”

Juno only rolled his eyes. If Glass thought he’d impress him with cheesy one-liners, well, he wasn’t entirely wrong, but Juno was a tougher lady than that. “I’ll pass. Crown’s not a good look on me.”

“No?” Glass smirked, leaning in ever closer, “There are other royal positions that need filling, of course.”

“I’m sure there are.”

“A man named Alexander had that figured out.”

“Sounds like a smart guy.”

He wasn’t unaware of how close he and Glass were, he just hadn’t figured out what he was going to do about it. He probably would’ve figured something out, if the waiter hadn’t marched back to their table, looking comically angry, like he was one second away from exploding, and holding a new bottle of wine. He cleared his throat and Glass didn’t hesitate or even glance his way before responding.

“Take it back!” 

Juno barely had the chance to open his mouth before the waiter grunted again, louder and firmer this time.

“Oh, what?” Juno asked, thoroughly fed up with whatever game this guy was playing.

“This is the last bottle.” The waiter said, glaring holes into Glass, “You take this wine, or you leave.”

Glass scoffed, “Well, with a deal like that-”

**“** We’ll take it.” Juno cut him off. The waiter practically dumped the bottle and glasses on the table before stalking back into the kitchen. Juno decided to have a drink.

“I have to say,” Glass began to speak, looking into the distance, “I’m happy to have met you, Juno. I’d always intended to reach out to the heirs of the Families one day-, Don’t drink that by the way, it’s poisoned,” He glanced briefly at Juno, ignoring him as he spit out his drink. “-and to find that I not only tolerate the first, that I actually find him to be pleasant company, is tremendously relieving.”

“Poisoned?” Juno asked incredulously, wiping at his mouth.

Glass smirked, “To hell and back again, my dear.” He said, “It has been since the first bottle, and with each one we send back our waiter, who by my estimation has the second-largest biceps I’ve ever seen, consults with his colleague over there, who has the largest biceps I have ever seen. They’re talking now. You don’t know how to read lips, do you?”

“I can read faces just fine.” Juno deadpanned.

“And what do theirs say?”

Juno grimaced as he saw the waiters making their way over to the table. “Let’s just say that we might be close to finding out where the shredded beef comes from.”


	9. that they confuse you, that I might lose you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains a fight, stabbing, interrogation, and a brief memory of a traumatic event that will be brought up later. If that is not your cup of tea, I recommend you skip this chapter and check the endnotes for a summary

“Gentlemen,” The first waiter said, approaching with a wide smile, “My friend here has told me that you appear unsatisfied with the selection of our cellars. Is there anything we can do for you?”

“It’s nothing against the wine, waiter-” Glass began, before Juno cut in.

“It is, actually.”

Glass ignored him and continued, “Mr. Steel and I simply have a little hangup over starting a meal before everyone’s at the table.”

“Oh?” The waiter asked, raising an eyebrow, “Is a member of your party missing?”

“He’s feigning ignorance, Juno.” Glass stage-whispered to Juno, and Juno had to fight back a smile of his own.

“Not very well.” He deadpanned.

“Oh, look at him turn red. Quite a hue.” Glass chuckled, turning to face the waiter as he fumed. “You should consider bottling it, sir.”

“My manager has stated-”

“I get the feeling we’ve had this conversation before.” Juno ignored the waiter’s spluttering, turning to Glass.

**“** Barely a few minutes ago, as I recall!”

“Smart tongues will get you nowhere.” The waiter hissed.

“Perhaps not, but it’s not just my tongue that’s smart.” Glass quipped. The waiter chuckled a couple times, before glaring Glass down.

“Ok, smartass,” He smiled cruelly, “Let’s see how smart you feel in a minute.”

Juno was about to reach for Glass, to save him from the waiter’s wrath. Unfortunately, the second waiter got to him first.

~+~

He couldn’t believe it. For all Peter’s strategy, his planning, his cunning… he forgot about the other waiter. The man grabbed Juno and punched him in the stomach, making the lady fall to the floor with a groan.

“Juno!” Peter cried. He reached for Juno, but the waiter got to him faster, pulling Juno up, pressing a knife to his neck. Peter didn’t hesitate to raise his blaster, at the waiter, pulling it out of his sleeve. He would’ve shot too, if the other waiter hadn’t raised his guns, one to Peter’s head, and one to Juno’s.

“Put it down, Angel.” The man taunted, laughing.

“You forget which one of us has the suit full of weaponry here.” Peter glared the waiter down, but he only smirked, pushing the gun further towards Juno’s head, making both Juno and Peter flinch.

“Maybe,” The waiter chuckled, “But you can’t get both of us. Shoot, and the lady gets it.”

Peter hesitated for a second, glancing at Juno as he shook his head. Under different circumstances, he’d have shot them both and gotten out of the Triple Threat within 20 seconds… But with a civilian’s life on the line, with Juno’s life on the line... He cursed under his breath as he lowered his blaster.

“What do you want?” He spat out, his eyes not wavering from Juno’s captor.

“It’s not about want, Angel.” The waiter replied, casually walking around Juno, “You have something the boss needs. The question is whether or not you’ll give it willingly,” The waiter pushed the knife a millimeter closer to Juno’s neck, and Juno let out a small gasp of pain. “Or whether you’ll need some convincing.”

“Just take me to your boss.” Peter sighed, as the smaller waiter pulled the knife away from Juno’s neck. The taller waiter smiled smugly, before pressing a button on his watch. The other waiter pulled Juno to his feet.

“Do you have a plan?” Juno hissed under his breath.

“This is my plan.”

“And after this?”

“...Don’t die.”

“Great,” Juno groaned, as the waiter restrained him again. “Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

A tall lady in a bright pink suit stepped into the room. She wore 6-inch heels and must’ve been a foot taller than Peter, which was saying something. She flashed him a wicked smile as she took off her sunglasses.

“Ah, The Angel of Hyperion!” She beamed at him, pinching Juno’s cheek as she passed him, “And his guest! It’s a pleasure to see you again, boys.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Peter spoke warily, “But we’ve never met.”

The woman laughed, high and cold. “Of course you haven’t met me, that would completely defeat the purpose would it not?” She sighed, “No, Mr. Glass, I’m afraid that although I’ve been following your scent for a while now, we’ve never formally met.” She held out a hand for Peter to shake, which he did. “Priscilla Pate, regional manager for this branch of the Triad. Should I get you two anything? Water, tea, milkshake?”

“I’d love some water,” Juno said, “And maybe if you could let me go-”

“Nothing?” Pate cut him off, still smiling, “What a shame. We’ve been watching you for a long time now, Glass. You have a tab with the Triad.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Peter responded, “I’m not exactly sure what-... No, you don’t mean-”

“You did us a great disservice that day, Angel.” Pate sneered.

“I took Cecil Kanagawa off the Triad’s hands six years ago, Ms. Pate.” He cried, indignantly, “It’s a rather long time to hold a grudge.”

“I’m sorry, but will someone please explain what the everloving hell Cecil has to do with any of this?” Juno cried. Peter sighed.

“Juno, do you remember when Cecil went on that week-long Uranian Cruise?”

“Of course I don’t-” Juno trailed off, brow furrowing, “...He wasn’t on a cruise, was he?”

“Indeed he was not.” Pate snarled, “He was going to be put out of the Triad’s way years ago, until your friend here decided to play white knight.”

“It wasn’t anything personal,” Peter shrugged, “I have no fondness for the Kanagawa’s and they certainly have none for me, but I could hardly let the Triad kill an innocent person.”

“Regardless, your debt accrues interest every day.” Pate glared at Peter, “Each day Cecil Kanagawa remains living is a day viewers across the galaxy tune in to his shows, his feeds, his streams. And if they’re watching those, they aren’t watching ours. The Triad cannot allow that.”

“This is just a thought,” Juno cut in, “But have you maybe tried improving your own streams? It seems just slightly less dramatic than espionage, kidnapping, and murder.”

“Improve?” Pate scoffed, throwing her head back and laughing. “Hardly! Cecil’s programs are exquisite. I especially liked his feature the other night on recent improvements in ritual execution. The demonstrations were breathtaking!” She sighed, “No, no, I’m afraid we’ll never beat that. And that leaves only one option: we just have to beat him. But even Cecil is pocket change compared to our specific topic for the evening. Tell me, Glass, do you read the tabloids?”

“Not really.” Peter deadpanned, and Pate chuckled.

“Well, I am surprised. For every hundred entries in any rumors column, one always tells the truth; and there is no business more lucrative than the business of truth, is there?” Pate smirked, tilting her head slightly as she spoke, “You must know that, protector of Hyperion that you are.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Peter responded, “I deal in truth every day and look where that’s gotten me.” Pate laughed hysterically, and Juno shot Peter a disdainful look.

“I think she might have liked that one, Glass.”

“No, no, no.” Pate shook her head, “The money isn’t in speaking the truth. It’s in owning it. Sitting on it, like a dragon on his gold. You’d do well to remember that.” She walked around Peter to stand next to Juno. “You know, I heard a very interesting rumor just the other day, Mr. Glass. One worth very much indeed.”

“If it’s true.”

“Of course.” Pate smiled menacingly as she drew out a small switchblade, holding it close to Juno’s face. Juno barely flinched, eyes darting to Peter in fear, who stepped towards them, pulling out his blasters.

“Juno!” He turned the blaster on Pate, “Put away the knife, Pate.”

She ignored the blaster and spoke calmly, “You were at the Kanagawas’ this morning. I want to hear about Croesus.”

“I’ve never had the pleasure to meet such a person.” Peter said, eyes not moving from Pate’s face.

“You’re a funny man, Angel.” Pate sneered, “But the time for jokes has passed.”

“I agree.” Peter replied, “So why don’t you put down that knife so we can talk like adults?”

Pate chuckled, lowering her knife only to stab it into Juno’s thigh at the last moment. Peter watched in horror as Juno barely stifled a cry of pain. Pate only laughed and twisted the knife slightly, making Juno wince.

“Stop that!” Peter cried, raising his blaster again.

“What.” Pate glared at him, “Do. you. know?”

Before Peter could say anything, Juno cut in “We don’t know the first damn thing about Croesus, and neither do you,” He laughed, voice strained. Peter shook his head, hoping that his eyes could send his message even when words couldn’t, but Juno, that idiot, ignored him. “Or else you would’ve aimed somewhere a little more vital than my thigh.”

“I was being generous.” Pate growled, “There are plenty of places even less vital than that, and much, much more painful.” Her grip on the knife tightened and Peter practically tripped over himself in his haste.

**“** No! Don’t you dare!” He grabbed Pate’s hand and pulled her away from Juno. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Juno’s panicked look, and he hesitated. Pate must’ve noticed, because she raised an eyebrow, reaching back for the knife. Peter sighed and dropped both his blasters. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

Pate smiled a cruel smile, as her waiter picked up the blasters, and said, “Well, it seems we’ve gotten somewhere after all! Have you decided to be more cooperative?”

“Immediately so. Croesus Kanagawa-”

“No-!” Juno exclaimed, but Peter ignored him and continued.

“-has recently obtained the Death Mask of Grimpotheuthis, an incredible archaeological find, and he’s installed an entire wing of his mansion just for storing it in.”

Juno looked taken aback, “You-!” He took a deep breath, “You shouldn’t’ve told them, Glass. The Kanagawas aren’t gonna like it.”

“Grim’s Mask?” Pate laughed, “Gentlemen, I’ve no interest in any masks. Whether Croesus collects ancient treasures or model spaceships makes no difference to me.” She fixed her glare back on Peter. “I’ll be more direct. The Kanagawas’ contracts go up at the end of the month; for weeks the entertainment world has been awash with theories and speculation as to what their next slate of programs will be. I’ve heard, from a very reputable source, that their already-extensive line will be expanding significantly.”

Peter quirked an eyebrow, “Interesting theory. What’s the source on this rumor?” He asked.

“A house that large generates a lot of trash, Angel. And I’m not just talking about the Kanagawas.”

Juno chuckled nervously, trailing off as both Pate and Peter glared at him, “Well, I liked that one.”

“So, someone found it whilst digging through a dumpster.” Peter turned back to Pate. “That’s not exactly rock-solid.

**“** That may be true,” Pate replied, “But thankfully, I’ve managed to locate two experts to deliver to us firsthand testimony of Croesus’s plan. They,” She pointed at Juno and Peter, “That’s you, will give me the details I desire.”

“And then?” Peter asked.

Pate beamed. “Then you die.”

“That… sounds like a raw deal.” Juno started.

“Yes,” Peter added, “I would expect a businesswoman to have a better grasp on the basic tenets of selling.”

“I’ll remind you I have an edge in these negotiations.” Pate said, gently tapping the knife sticking out of Juno’s wound.

“I think she means her knife.” Juno muttered to Peter.

“Duly noted.”

Pate sneered, and ripped the knife out of Juno’s leg, making him wince in pain. It took nearly all of Peter’s willpower not to reach out to him, or to shoot Pate on the spot. “What did Kanagawa send you for? What’s he planning?”

“Kanagawa,” Peter replied, “Isn’t planning anything.”

Pate scoffed and punched Juno in the face. Peter raised his blaster again, and she laughed.

“So much for that.” Juno groaned, as the waiter’s grip tightened around his back.

“I may not be able to hurt you now, Glass.” Pate glowered, “But I can hurt your little friend-”

“I’m not that short!”

“- And if you don’t give me what I want,” Pate ignored Juno’s protests, staring straight at Peter, who still had his blaster against her chest. “I won’t hesitate to kill you both.”

“Yes, but if you do, there goes your payday.” Peter responded, tone flat and eyes cold, “Any middle-manager who’d throw out her profits won’t stay a middle manager long. How do you think Arya Atwood would feel about that?”

When Peter mentioned the boss, he’d expected many things. Shock, anger, fear maybe. He hadn’t expected Pate to laugh. 

“You’re behind the times, Angel.” She smirked, “The Triad of a few years ago might have left you alive. But tonight, you will die.” She raised her knife to Juno’s throat and her gun to Peter’s head. “So what will it be, gentlemen? A quick death… or a slow one?”

~+~

Glass froze for a second, and Juno could practically see the gears in his head turning. Glass sighed, and lowered his gun.

“Alright, Pate. You win.” He sighed, and Pate beamed.

“Of course I do. Now-”

“We don’t know what the shows are. But,” Glass glanced over at Juno, and Juno realized what he was doing. “We can get you the person who does.”

“You don’t mean…” Pate gaped.

“Glass,” Juno warned, “Are you sure about this?” He glanced at Juno once and took a deep breath.

“Get us a secure line, Pate. We’ll get you a meeting with Croesus.”

Pate let out a small laugh, “The man himself…” She straightened up, glaring at Glass. “I’ll get you that line. But you’d better not try anything cute, or you’ll die on the spot.”

“Nothing cute?” Glass smirked, “We couldn’t possibly promise that-” He cut himself off, as Pate raised the knife back to Juno’s face. **“** Nothing tricky. Understood.”

“Good.” Pate glowered, dropping the knife and turning back to the kitchen. “Well, gentlemen. Think about what you’ll say. It had better be a very convincing phone call, or you will have a long, long time to wish you had rehearsed.” She walked away and the taller waiter followed.

“Well,” Juno said after a moment of silence, “I’ve gotta say, Glass, the political situation on Mars seems… tenuous.”

“Try dealing with it on a daily basis.” Glass scoffed, stepping towards Juno. The waiter’s grip on Juno’s arms tightened. “Are you alright?”

“The knife’s probably gonna leave a scar, but I’ll survive.” Juno smiled, trying to be reassuring, but Glass just fidgeted with his sleeves. “Any ideas on how to get out of here?”

~+~

When you get tied up as often as Peter Nureyev does, you eventually learn to prepare. Peter’s prep was fairly simple. He knew that no gangster worth their money would let him keep his blasters up for too long, so he made sure they were disposable. He hadn’t spent years training and working to be completely dependent on his tech, Mag, M’Tendere and Jet made sure of that. He quickly flipped a switch on the inside of the suit and felt the three knives drop into his hands, as Juno spoke.

“Just don’t move.” He said, shooting Juno a calm smile, before launching one of the knives into the waiter’s arm.

~+~

The waiter barely had the chance to cry out in pain, letting go of Juno in shock, before Glass was behind him, holding some type of cloth to the waiter’s mouth. The waiter struggled for a few seconds before falling to the floor.

“What the hell was that?” Juno hissed under his breath, grabbing Glass’ arm.

“Oh, just a sedative.” Glass said, wiping the blood off of the knife, “He’ll be fine.” He turned to Juno, kneeling to examine his leg. “Can you walk alright?”

“Couldn’t you just carry me, or-” Juno began to respond, only to be cut off by the one person he was really hoping to see.

“Well, well, well…” Pate sneered, leaning on the doorway, “So this is how the Kanagawas do business.”

“Any ideas now?” Juno whispered to Glass.

“Would you like to live?”

“Well, don’t go out of your way-”

“Show them what happens when you cross the Triad!” Pate yelled at the larger waiter, who beamed with bloodthirsty glee.

He launched himself at Juno, only for Glass to step in front of him. He tried to grab Glass, only to get a knee to the gut. He probably didn’t like that too much, growling as he threw Glass into one of the tables on the side. Juno winced as he heard a horrible crunching noise, but he didn’t have time to check on Glass as the waiter stalked towards him. He grabbed the empty bottle of wine and swung it at Juno’s head, only for Juno to side-step, just in time for Glass to slide in, pushing one of the knives into the small of the waiter’s back and one in the back of his neck. He looked up at Juno, somehow still cheery when his suit was covered in blood. He smiled up at Juno, only to see something behind him.

“Juno! She’s getting away!”

Juno turned to see Pate halfway out the door already, dialing the phone. Time seemed to slow down, as he saw the id on the comms. He saw it out of the corner of his eye; one of Glass’ blasters. As he picked it up the disk turned into a regular blaster, fitting perfectly into Juno’s hand. In ten seconds Pate would be on the line with Triad HQ and in twenty they’d be surrounded by gangsters, which meant Juno had five. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember what Buddy and Vespa had taught him.

_ “When you see the target in front of you,” Vespa had whispered into his ear, that day in the garden so many years ago. “You have to shoot before it disappears.” _

_ “Aim not for where it is,” Buddy had said, standing next to the swinging target board, “But where it will be. You’ll need to use your mind as well as your eyes to be a good marksman, Juno.” _

_ “I know this is hard, mijo,” Vespa put a hand on his shoulder. “But, one day, this may not just be a sport. One day, it could be your life, or one of ours. I know it’s scary but I know that you can do this.” _

He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he saw Pate move in front of him.

_ “Raise the blaster and level your shoulders,” He heard Vespa’s voice echo in his mind, “Hold it steady now, and when you’re ready-” _

**_“Juno!”_ ** _ She screamed and Juno flinched. _

He shook his head once, trying to clear his mind.

_ “Flex your finger,” _

**_“Stay back-!”_ **

_ “Take a deep breath,” _

**_“Get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, you-, you monster!”_ **

_ “Pull the trigger.” _

**_“Juno!”_ **

**_“Vespa!”_ **

_ “Pull the trigger!” _

He heard the blast before he saw it. He opened his eyes slowly, tears threatening to spill out at any moment. As the smoke from the blaster cleared, he saw Pate lying on the floor, stunned but still shaking, with what sounded like… laughter.

“You…” She groaned, still cackling.

“How unpleasant.” Glass said, as he appeared at Juno’s side, “It appears she’s still conscious.”

“You... you’ve made… a grave mistake!” She sneered, “The Triad… doesn’t forget! They’ll… come for you-!”

“Yes, yes,” Glass cut her off, taking the blaster from Juno’s hand, and changing the setting. “The Triad and half the city.” He gave her one last cold look, before raising the blaster. “Enjoy your meeting with Croesus.”

~+~

Juno flinched as the blast rang out, grabbing Peter’s hand as Pate went still. Peter turned to Juno, smiling. He’d known that Juno was a good marksman, but he still hadn’t known just how good.

“That was quite the shot, my dear-” He paused, as he saw Juno shaking slightly next to him. “Juno, are you alright?”

“You…” Juno started, choking back a sob, “You killed her.”

“I-,” Peter sighed, “Yes, I did. It’s unfortunate, but there really was no other way.”

Juno nodded once, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths. Peter squeezed his hand, and after a moment of charged silence, he spoke.

“Juno… I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be,” Juno cut him off, giving him a small smile, “You didn’t do anything wrong, I just…” He sighed, “Bad memories, y’know?”

“More than I care to admit,” Peter muttered, trying to push the thoughts of Mag out of his mind, turning back to Pate. “Well, this was thoroughly redundant. We’ve got no information, no leads, nothing but a few new scars.”

“I wouldn’t say nothing.” Juno said, pointing at the comms, “Take a look at the ID on the number she was calling.”

“She was calling Triad Headquarters, so it should be…” Peter’s brow furrowed with confusion, “Andre Atwood? But shouldn’t it be-”

“Arya Atwood, his mother, I think.” Juno offered.

“They don’t line up.” He muttered, “There must’ve been a change in management in the Triad, but… the Triad wouldn’t write the wrong name. And even if Arya had died after they killed Croesus, it takes time to pick a new boss.”

“So… whoever wrote that name didn’t know about the change in management?” Juno asked.

Peter shook his head, “Whoever killed Croesus wasn’t Triad. Just looking for a convenient stooge.” He stood up straighter, and turned to Juno. “We need to head back to Kanagawa’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juno and Peter get interrogated by the Triad and learn that they were not involved in Croesus' murder. Juno also has a brief flashback to 'the Incident'


	10. a remix of memories, the loop of the drum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, I’m sorry, is this our stab wound? Stay out of it!” Juno retorted, frowning at Glass, who shot him a withering glare.
> 
> “Do not test me, Juno, I will make it our stab wound!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG TW FOR THIS ONE!!! we're talking about ~The Incident~, so warning for descriptions of violence, blood, hallucinations, panic attacks, and general trauma.
> 
> On that cheery note, enjoy the chapter!

They would’ve gone straight back to Kanagawa’s if Rita and Glass hadn’t gotten in a twist over nothing. It was just his luck that Rita called at that exact time, and she certainly wasn’t pleased with what she saw.

“You got stabbed?” She screeched over the line.

  
“Lightly stabbed-!” He tried to respond.

  
“MISTAH STEEL!”

“I didn’t want you to worry!”

“With all due respect, my dear,” Glass cut in, “You seem to do enough of that already. But, all joking aside, I think you might actually have more blood outside your body than inside it at the moment.”

“See?” Rita said, crossing her arms, “The superhero agrees with me!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, is this our stab wound? Stay out of it!” Juno retorted, frowning at Glass, who shot him a withering glare.

“Do not test me, Juno, I will make it our stab wound!”

Glass was a good babysitter. It wasn’t so bad being fawned over for a change. Juno couldn’t remember the last time he’d let anyone take care of him this much for years. Not since The Incident at least…

“Juno, you have to go to a hospital!” Glass protested, Juno hanging off his shoulder as they limped through the many streets of Hyperion City. “I’m not going to let you bleed out in some alley.”

“I’ll survive, Glass.” Juno groaned. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the dim lights of Hyperion Central Hospital. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine the soft hospital bed, those cool blue lights. Glass obviously wasn’t going to relent, and his leg wasn’t going to stop bleeding anytime soon.

“What will you even do if we go to the hospital, huh?” He asked, “I don’t think you’ll last long in there before the HCPD rolls up.”

  
“I’m hardly going to hang around, Juno.” Glass rolled his eyes, “I’ll wait around the back, and when you’re ready we’ll make our exit.”

“Wait, you’d leave me alone?” Juno bolted upright, trying to block Glass from the door, “In there?”

“Juno, is everything alright?” He heard Glass’ voice echo in the back of his mind, but all he could think about were those bright lights, those flashing lights…

“Juno…”

“I- Just…” Juno trailed off, clearing his throat and smiling softly at Glass. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me.” He reached for Glass’ hand and squeezed it tight.

“We can go together if that would make you feel better?” Glass offered, smiling reassuringly.

“Yeah,” Juno muttered, “Yeah, it’ll be fine…”

He took a deep breath, and as Glass held the door open, he stepped into the light. The first thing Juno felt was the cold. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the bright strobe lights. And that’s when it hit him.

The memories came too fast for him to point them out at first, just flashes and words that had gotten lost somewhere in his head years ago. He spent a few seconds standing in a daze as years and years of Vespa flew past him, just specks of light in the bleak hospital hall. Slowly, they came into focus and that’s when Juno heard her.

**_“Juno-!”_ **

**_“Juno, come back! You have to- Benzaiten!”_ **

**_“Vespa, please-!”_ **

**_“Stay away, stay away! Get out of my head!”_ **

**_“Vespa-!”_ **

**_“Get back you little… monster!”_ **

And it all came back to him, the bright hospital lights as Vespa bled out, Ben wailing in the background, Buddy stifling sobs into Jet’s shoulder, and Juno crying alone in the corner of the lobby, losing more and more tears because he knew he’d never get his mother back. And the gunshot. Ringing out again and again in the back of his head, that single shrill bullet that tore his life in two, whizzing around his dreams again and again-

**_“Juno!”_ **

He could feel the tears streaming down his face, his eyes blown wide as he stared down the crystal white lobby. It was so perfectly clean, a picture perfect sight, but all he could see was the blood, god there had been so much blood-

**_“Juno!”_ **

And through it all, there it was. That goddamn shot, the one shot Juno wished he could’ve missed. He’d messed up before, why couldn’t he have done the same the one time it mattered? With that one bullet, he thought he was doing the right thing, he had to protect his family, that’s what Vespa had told him, right? He had to protect his family, but of course, life couldn’t make that simple, not for Juno Aurinko - Steel, never for him. The snobby ladies at the club had always said he and Vespa were an ill omen, that they’d bring nothing but ruin in their wake, but of course, of course, it’d been him who had to ruin it all-

“Juno!” Juno blinked the tears out of his eyes, and as his vision cleared he could see Glass standing in front of him. “Juno, are you alright?”

Juno opened his mouth to respond only to break out into sobs again. Glass’s eyes filled with worry, and he pushed the two of them out of the hospital. They stood for a second there on the sidewalk, Juno crying into his shoulder, and The Angel of Hyperion, standing in front of him, somehow, inexplicably the second person he wanted to see the most right then.

“Juno…” Glass whispered into Juno’s ear, running a hand over his back, “I’m sorry, but we have to fix your leg-”

“No!” Juno pulled back from Glass, shaking his head. He knew he must’ve looked like a mess, but he didn’t care, he couldn’t go back. “No, no, please, Glass, I can’t-”

  
“I-” Glass took a deep breath before wrapping an arm around Juno’s waist and lifting off the ground. “Alright, Juno. I’ll try to do my best, I suppose.” They flew a few blocks over, landing softly on the roof of an apartment building. Glass set Juno down on a small pipe of some sort and started jumbling through his pockets.

“What are you doing?” Juno asked, trying to take deep breaths, “What are you going to find in your goddamn pockets that's going to fix any of this?”

Glass, calm as ever, smirked, “More than you’d expect, my dear.” He pulled one of his pockets out to the side, and as he did, Juno saw a bright blue glow start to form, making a bunch of shapes he didn’t understand, “One of the many perks of nanotech, you get to make your own pockets.”

“So, you can just,” Juno scoffed, “Fit whatever in there?”

“Precisely,” Glass continued to jumble through his pockets, pulling out a couple knives, a deck of cards, a bottle of pills, a couple teabags, a sandwich, a dehydrated popsicle, a burner phone or two, a compass, a lipstick palette, and he let out a triumphant ‘aha!’ as he pulled out a small first aid kit. He knelt down and held out Juno’s leg. He grabbed a swab of cotton, a bandage and an antiseptic. He gently dabbed at Juno’s wound, clearing his throat as Juno’s fingers dug into his shoulder, as Juno winced in pain.

“So… Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Juno shot back, sniffling as he glared at Glass.

“Juno…”

**_“Juno!”_ **

“It’s none of your business-!”

“Of course it isn’t.” Glass said softly, taking Juno’s hands in his own, “You have no obligation to share I just… It seems to be causing you a great deal of pain, and I’ve always found it best to share your thoughts with the people you trust and who care about you.”

“And I trust you?” Juno deadpanned, and Glass chuckled, sounding just a little hurt.

“Well, I hope so… I certainly care about you,” He cleared his throat awkwardly, “As much as one does for someone they’ve known for all of a day and nothing more.”

“Hmph.”

  
“Juno,” He murmured, “I know this must be hard, but you’re allowed to have feelings and I-... I just want to help. Tell me if I’m overstepping but I really just want to help you.”

Juno sat in silence for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. He knew that Glass was right, of course he was right. And Rita, and Buddy, and Sasha, and hell, Professor Vega too. But it was still hard, harder than anything he’d tried to do before. But he had to do it. He’d tried keeping it all inside him for so many, too many, years and if he tried to keep that up, he’d explode. And Glass… whatever his real name was… He did trust him. And so, he began his story.

“You know how old I was the first time my mom put a gun in my hand?” He chuckled, half a laugh, half a sob, “I was 7. 7 years old, and I’d just seen one of my grandpa’s old friends try to kill my ma. I was so scared that day, Ben was too. He just showed up out of nowhere, in the middle of dinner. It had been Buddy’s birthday, the first since we’d gotten adopted, and we already loved her. Buddy and Vespa can do that to a person. You’d meet them and within twenty minutes, you’d be in so deep you could swim in it. Well, back then at least. But that day, I knew something had begun to change. That day I learned what it really meant to be an Aurinko.”

“See, my grandpa’d never wanted Buddy to marry Vespa. Before my ma, the Aurinko’s had been right up there with the other families, rich, powerful, and greedy. My grandfather didn’t care about anybody but himself, he didn’t even love his only daughter enough to let her fall in love. And Vespa… Vespa was just a med-student at the time. She’d gotten dragged into one of Buddy’s heists once and… well, my ma always told me it was like love at first sight. Like when she turned around and saw Vespa, even though she was in a wine-drenched waiter’s suit and looked like shit, she was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Vespa always said Buddy looked like a princess when she was young… and when they told us that story, I could believe it. A princess and her knight in a shining tuxedo, fighting against the world. My grandfather hired Vespa as one of their private medics, but he never thought of her as an Aurinko, not even when she was inducted.”

“So when Buddy told him she didn’t want to marry Victor DeMaggio, leaving behind a powerful alliance, to marry her doctor… well, he didn’t react that well. He threatened to disown her, to cut her off. And my ma’s always been a tough gal, so she did what she had to. She and Vespa eloped, left town for a month, came back two days before my grandfather could sign away her inheritance, and within two hours, he was dead and the Aurinko’s had a new matriarch.”

“That’s how it is when you’re an Aurinko, Buddy told me. You have to do what’s right to protect your family, even if it’s the hardest thing you’ve ever gotta do. My grandpa had all sorts of people who were still loyal to him, and on Buddy’s birthday, one of them tried to put a bullet through her brain. Of course, Vespa put a knife between his ribs between he could aim true, but it was the first time I’d seen anyone die and I knew it was the way things had to be but I-... I never wanted to be an Aurinko, I just wanted to be Buddy and Vespa’s. But to get what I wanted, I had to be willing to protect my family. Ben was never ready, he was always too above it all, like if he ignored it all, the blood on his hands would just wash away. And me? I was willing to do whatever it took.”

“Buddy and Vespa hated it, but that day, they took me out to the fields and set up a target or two. Buddy put a gun in my hands and Vespa taught me to aim, and it… It felt exhilarating. Like I could tune the world out and focus on that little red dot in the distance, and everything would be fine. I didn’t know it, but that was my first step to becoming an Aurinko.”

“You see, my grandfather was a crafty guy. Somehow, in that twisted old brain of his, he knew that my ma was coming for his life, and he decided that instead of taking her out swiftly and steady, he’d play the long game, a game so long, he’d never live to see it. The day Vespa and Buddy arrived, he threw them a ball. Told Buddy he was sorry, and that even though she wouldn’t be an Aurinko, she’d always be his daughter. And that night, he poisoned her. He put something in her drink and Vespa’s too, something that’s been slowly killing them ever since.”

“Buddy’s wasn’t that bad, all things considered. A slow-acting vial of some kind of pure radium essence… I don't know what it was exactly, but over the years, Buddy’s skin, her face, it looked like she was falling apart. I can’t remember how many nights I’d see Vespa pinning her wife’s hair in place, kissing her scars and telling her she was beautiful whichever way her hair fell. It wasn’t worth much in the end… In the eyes of everyone but us, Princess Aurinko was long gone. But, Vespa? Vespa’s poison did something far worse.”

“It was some kind of slow-acting radiation poison, the kind that people got when they lived in the Cerberus Province for too long, y’know? Most doctors don’t know what the hell it is exactly, but whatever it is, it worked. For years it was practically undetectable, and then one day, I just heard her muttering something while glaring into a corner. She swore she’d heard something just outside her line of sight, but all I could hear was silence. It was terrifying, Vespa had always been so strong, she’d protect us from everything in the Aurinko’s world that was too much for us, but right then, she looked so helpless.”

“The doctors said it might’ve been early-onset schizophrenia, and for years she tried to take the medication they gave her. But it didn’t do much, I realise that now. At the time, she didn’t want to scare us so kept the worst of it to herself… and by the time she really needed us to help her, it was too late.”

“I was 14 when it happened. I remember the morning clear as anything. I’d been inside painting with Buddy. I’d begun to realise that the whole cop thing wasn’t what I’d dreamt of for so many years, and Buddy thought maybe I’d enjoy something creative. She was right of course, even just painting a flower or two would put me at ease, like everything else that was happening in my life would just fade away… We were laughing and painting in the living room when we heard her.”

“Vespa and Ben had been playing football in the garden when it began. She’d always had the voices somewhere in the back of her head, but they’d suddenly broke out. She told me that she saw her dad and my grandpa, standing behind Ben, holding a gun, taunting her. We heard her yells and Ben’s screams when she pulled out her knife, yelling at a threat that had died 17 years ago… But that wasn’t even the worst bit.”

Juno let the tears flow freely down his face, sobbing into his hands, “She saw me. I was standing there, threatening her, taunting her in the back of her mind. In all her worst nightmares, there I was. I could hear her scream my name from inside, and I was so worried. I saw her stepping towards Ben, her knife drawn.”

**_“Juno, come back!” Buddy had yelled._ **

**_“Vespa!” He’d cried, watching helplessly from the porch._ **

**_“Get back!” Vespa yelled into the empty air behind Ben, “Juno, get back! Get out of my head, let go of him, don’t, please, Juno-!”_ **

**_“Juno, please you have to come back, it’s not safe!”_ **

**_“Juno, help!”_ **

**_“Vespa!”_ **

“She was standing over Ben, she must’ve thought he was me, and I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that she feared me or that she was willing to kill me. Either way, there she was, looming over my brother, knife in hand, sobbing and screaming. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more scared of or for anyone in that moment. I had seconds before Ben would be hurt… or worse. And I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Buddy’s blaster. I didn’t think twice about it. I grabbed it, trying to tune out Buddy’s voice, and I shot.”

He clung to Glass as he sobbed, “I thought I was doing the right thing! It was a hit to her waist, she should’ve been fine! But she just stood there for a second, staring at me, tears in her eyes.”

**_“Juno…”_ **

“I ran towards her as she hit the ground, I- I didn’t know what to do! Buddy grabbed me and we were rushed to the hospital and she wasn’t breathing normally, and she was bleeding, oh god, there was so much blood, Glass, there was so much blood! I thought I could protect them, but I just hurt her more…”

“She was in the hospital for a week. Her vitals were too unstable to let her come home. We’d spend hours with her. Buddy would sit there all day and all night, Ben and I’d come and go. Buddy sat there stony-faced, Ben would tell Vespa stories from school and sob while she slept. I couldn’t go in there… I couldn’t face her, how could I? It was my fault that she was in there in the first place. Buddy told me Vespa had asked for me, but I knew she was lying. Vespa couldn’t even look me in the eye for a year after. So there I was… cold and alone, crying in the corner lobby of Hyperion City Hospital.”

“We got one of my grandfather’s old minions to start talking. He fessed up, the old man knew that nothing we did would be able to stop the spreading of the poison completely. He- He wanted them to kill each other, Buddy and Vespa, he wanted them to tear each other apart, and he nearly got it. But at this point, I don’t know if I made it better or worse.”   
  


“What kind of kid does that? What kind of kid kills his own mother?”

“You didn’t kill her, Juno…” Glass murmured into his shoulder as Juno sobbed, “You didn’t have another option.”

“I should’ve found one!” Juno cried, “I should’ve known better, I should’ve been better. Vespa always said we’d be the ones to fix the city, but how could we? We were going to be the first Aurinko’s to lead with love, they deserved to, Buddy and Vespa, they really did! But instead they got stuck with me, and I ruined everything!” He sniffled into Glass’ suit as Glass pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

“It’s not too late.” He whispered into Juno’s hair, “You can still go back, you can fix things, we can fix things…” He pulled back to look Juno in the eye.

“What do you want, Juno?”

What did he want? Juno wanted to turn back time, he wanted to go back and punch Old Man Aurinko in the face, he wanted to trade places with, he wanted to warn Buddy, he wanted to paint and play with Buddy again, to run through the garden with Vespa, to get to laugh with Vespa, to have Vespa read him to sleep, Vespa…

“I-, I want my mom!” He cried into Glass’ shoulder, and the two of them sat like that for a few hours, crying as the sun began to set on Hyperion City.

~+~

_ “Juno, bring that back here!” Ben laughed, chasing his brother through the halls of Aurinko manor, “Juno!” _

_ “Nuh uh!” Juno called back, “I drew it, so it’s my present!” _

_ “But, Juno!” Ben pleaded, giving Juno his best puppy dog eyes, “I don’t have a good gift for Buddy!” _

_ “Well, that’s on you, then.” Juno stuck his tongue out his brother, who groaned. _

_ “Vespa!” _

_ “Stop pestering your brother, Ben.” Vespa chuckled as she appeared at the end of the hallway. “I’m sure he’s made something wonderful.” _

_ “But that’s the problem!” Ben pouted, “I didn’t have time to make such a fancy gift.” _

_ “Well, that’s fine,” Vespa patted Ben on the shoulder as he huffed, “You can just give her my present.” _

_ “The pearl necklace?” Juno chuckled, “No offense, ma, but I don’t think Buddy will think it’s from Ben.” _

_ “I could totally get Buddy a classy gift!” _

_ “Yeah, but did you?” Juno raised an eyebrow at his brother, as Vespa sighed. _

_ “It’ll be fine,you guys,” She knelt down to straighten out Juno’s gown. They were all matching that night, Juno’s was light pink and covered in ruffles, Buddy’s was the same in gold. Vespa and Buddy had gone out of their way to make sure they’d look like a proper family. _

_ “Now, we better get going, or else your mother is going to be stuck there, all alone, having to make conversations with those snooty, don’t tell you ma I said this word, asshats.” _

_ Ben giggled as he skipped towards the car, Juno and Vespa following close behind. Jet stood outside, smiling when he saw them approach. The four of them pulled up at the hall 10 minutes later. M’Tendere had insisted that they had to do something grand for Buddy’s birthday, so they held their function in City Hall, courtesy of Mayor Pereyra. They hated the Aurinko’s but they knew that Juno’s moms were popular enough that forming an alliance with them would do wonders for their reputation. Buddy would never actually align her family with Pereyra but who was she to turn down a party? Juno’s mom was cunning and mischievous and he loved her for it. _

_ They stepped into the brightly lit hall and there she was, the lights bouncing off her hair and dress as if she were glowing. Buddy Aurinko. She was talking with the Mayor and someone Juno didn’t recognize when she saw them. She turned away from a fuming Pereyra, beaming and waving. Despite her company’s protests, she ran forward to meet Juno and Ben in a hug, as Vespa hung back, smiling fondly. _

_ “Oh, my loves, you’re squishing me!” She giggled, pressing a kiss to Ben’s forehead and running a hand through Juno’s hair. “You both look lovely tonight.” _

_ Vespa cleared her throat, faking a cough and Buddy smiled at her, letting go of Juno and Ben to wrap an arm around her wife’s waist, “And of course, you look radiant as ever my love.” _

_ “It’s just a tux, Bud.” _

_ “And you look radiant in the tux, you’d look radiant in anything.” Buddy hummed as she pressed a kiss to her wife’s head, making Juno giggle and Ben gag. _

_ “The kids are still watching, babe.” Vespa chuckled. _

_ “Hmm,” Buddy smiled, placing a hand on Juno’s shoulder, “I suppose I’m just happy that we’re all together like this. Lord knows I needed it today.” _

_ “Wanna talk about it, Ma?” Ben asked, hopping up by Buddy’s side, “Preferably while we go grab some hors d'oeuvres?” _

_ “I was thinking something along the same lines, yes.” Buddy said, as she took Ben by the arm to walk towards the buffet tables. “Should I bring anything for you two?” _

_ “Nah, we’ll just make the rounds first.” Vespa replied, clapping Juno’s shoulder. _

_ Vespa and Juno walked through the hall, saying their hellos and laughing politely when some politician made a joke that Juno didn’t understand. All the while, Vespa’s hand remained on Juno’s shoulder, trying to tune out the voices of the ladies gossiping in the corner. _

_ “You’d think Aurinko could afford to clean up her kids a little? Or at least her wife?” _

_ “You know what they say; You can take the girl out of Oldtown, but you can’t take the Oldtown out of the girl.” _

_ “I heard that they sent the children to public school! Are they trying to make them more uncivilized than before?” _

_ “Well, what did you expect? Just look at Aurinko’s wife. Couldn’t she marry someone respectable and just take a mistress like the rest of us?” _

_ Juno tried to tune them out, feeling Vespa tense behind him. He had to keep it together, or else Buddy and Vespa would be in trouble again. _

_ “You know, I heard that Aurinko took the kids from the Kanagawa’s?” _

_ “Oh yeah, no one wants to send their foster kids to the Aurinko’s, and well, the children were becoming nuisances, so everyone wins, no?” _

_ “I do remember Min mentioning about how the Aurinko’s came a-knocking.” _

_ “Well, of course they did. That Buddy made a mockery of a once-great family, it was natural that they’d get left behind.” _

_ “Shut up!” Juno turned on the ladies, seething, “None of you have the right to talk about Buddy like that!” _

_ “Juno-” Vespa cut in, reaching for Juno, but the tallest lady just laughed. _

_ “Why don’t you stop meddling in things that do not concern you and go find your mommy, hmm? That does seem more your speed.” _

_ Juno spluttered as the ladies laughed, feeling tears well up behind his eyes. He pushed past Vespa and ran out into the lawns, leaning up against a tree, and falling to his knees as he sobbed. _

_ It wasn’t fair! He tried so hard, he wore the heels and jewels and makeup, all of the things he heard those ladies hissing behind Buddy’s back. She always pretended not to care, but he knew, he saw how she’d frown, how she’d shrink in on herself. So why couldn’t he be good enough? _

_ “Juno?” He heard Vespa calling from the edge of the lawn. He shifted slightly to hide himself behind the tree, but she must’ve seen because a second later, there she was; kneeling next to him in the dirt. _

_ “Hey kiddo,” She asked, awkwardly rubbing a hand down his back, “You ok?” _

_ Juno shrunk in on himself, grumbling as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Vespa sighed, sitting next to him and pulling him in. _

_ “You know that Buddy and I don’t give a shit what those old broads think, right, mijo?” _

_ “I know, I just…” Juno sniffed, “Why do they have to be so mean? What did Buddy or me ever do to them?” _

_ Vespa paused to think for a second, “Did I ever tell you how I met your mother?” _

_ Juno shook his head, and Vespa took a deep breath. “It was a party just like this one. I was just a med student back then, doing odd jobs here and there to pay the bills. So, I was doing this server gig at a charity gala and your ma just so happened to be on a heist.” _

_ “At some point, I’d been carrying around a tray of wine, when this lady started barking at me for no reason. She grabbed one of the glasses and poured the wine all over the suit. It was really embarrassing,” She chuckled, “I was so scared, and then, a lady came up from behind her and started yelling at her for mistreatment of service workers. And there she was.” _

_ “That was Buddy?” Juno piped up, and Vespa smiled. _

_ “Yeah, that was Buddy. My knight in shining armor. She made sure I was alright and kept checking in on me, but the whole time I was too stunned by how pretty she looked to form a coherent sentence. At some point, she asked for my help with a heist. And being the complete sucker that I am, I agreed.” _

_ “It felt like freedom, getting that little bit of petty revenge on the jerks that had been badmouthing me all night, Buddy at my side. After we nicked the knife of Tetronovis, we spent the night dancing, and laughing, and…” She trailed off, clearing her throat as Juno giggled. “I, uh… I walked her home, and she got me a job with the family. After a few weeks of hanging out and heisting, I finally worked up the courage to ask her out.” _

_ “We used to date in secret back then. Even when her father was patriarch, there were always whispers, the murmurs that I wasn’t good enough, that I’d never be good enough. So when I proposed two years later, we knew that we wouldn’t be able to be happy in the Hyperion that we’d known. So we did what we had to…” _

_ “Do you know why I’m telling you this, mijo?” Juno shook his head, and Vespa pulled him into a hug. _

_ “Every time one of those old rich ladies talked shit about us, Buddy and I always knew that all that resentment came from a place of jealousy. They wanted the love, the happiness, and most of all, the success, that we had. And when they didn’t, they tried to take us down. But the thing about being a family, is that we always have each other’s backs, and we’d always protect each other. We’d do anything to protect our family, right, mijo?” _

_ Juno nodded and Vespa chuckled, “So every time one of those viejas tries to tell you that you aren’t good enough or that Buddy and I don’t think you and Ben are the most amazing kids in the world, you just remember; They wish they could be Juno Aurinko ok?’ She kissed the top of Juno’s head as Juno giggled. “I love you, you know that, right, kid?” _

_ “I love you too.” Juno smiled as he hugged Vespa. She laughed, pressing one last kiss to Juno’s curls before taking his hand and leading him back to the hall. _

_ “Now, why don’t you show me that drawing you made for Buddy?” She asked, gasping when Juno bashfully handed her his drawing. _

_ “Is it that bad?” He whispered, as Vespa ran her fingers across the painstakingly detailed features of Buddy’s face. He’d drawn them all from that photo they’d taken in the hall last winter. Buddy sitting in her chair, looking regal, Vespa behind her, smiling as wide as Juno had ever seen. Ben and Juno standing on either side of their mom’s, beaming into the camera, and Jet in the back, his calm expression shifting into a small smile. The real Vespa smiled down at Juno, ruffling his hair slightly as she spoke. _

_ “It’s perfect, cariño.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey did you know this story has a playlist? WELL NOW YOU DO
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3cfWs60VH9itQbSWzoAwF0?si=JVdK8RpaQJe1nOozgV-60A
> 
> basically it has all the songs from the chapter title's in chronological order and it gives vague spoilers and general vibes for each chapter. Either, I feel like it's more fun reading the story while listening to the songs I had on while writing.


	11. a new fantastic point of view

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cameraman began to move towards Cass, and she buried herself further into Juno’s coat, screaming and sobbing as they drew nearer. Juno had 10, maybe 20, seconds to do something, anything. And then he saw it, and right then, he made a decision. It was probably a pretty dumb one, but it was the only one he could make. He had to protect his family. He grabbed Cassandra’s blaster, and leveled it at Min.
> 
> “Come one step closer and the boss gets it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cecil loves his siblings send tweet

They flew back to Kanagawa manor in silence, what could Peter possibly say that could make up for what he’d done? Juno was staring off into the distance and all he could think of was how if he hadn’t messed up Miasma’s task, Juno would have never been put into this situation, where he’d had to relive that horrible day or sob through his trauma with a stranger. They landed on the lawn of Kanagawa manor, and Peter could see Cecil running out of the mansion to meet his brother.

“Juno!” Cecil cried, beaming until he saw the hastily wrapped bandage around Juno’s leg, “You’re-! … Oh, my. What happened to you?”

“Dog bit me.” Juno grumbled, leaning on Peter as they walked past Cecil.

“That’s a hell of a bandage for-”

“It was a rather large dog.” Peter added.

“No offense, Cecil, but right now I’d like to get right to business or right to a liquor cabinet, both of which,” Juno said, “I’m guessing, we could find in your dad’s office.”

Cecil paled, and laughed nervously, “Father’s office?” He cleared his throat “Well, Juno, there are just so many things in there that it wouldn’t be wise to show to the public-...?”

“C’mon, Cece,” Juno groaned, “I’m your brother, right?”

“Yeah, but,” Cecil replied, not so subtly glancing at Peter, “I mean, I just, you know that’s not what I-”

“Now, Cecil! Is that any way to treat family?

And there she was, lurking in the doorway. The shadow behind the Kanagawa family. The other three had TV shows, video streams, and perfume lines, but this woman? This woman terrified Peter. Because even though the public almost never saw her, there wasn’t a decision the family made that she did not touch. She walked over to Juno and kissed him twice on each cheek.

“Juno, dear! It’s been so long!” She cried, beaming up down at her scowling ex-step-son

“Min.” Juno said, flatly. Peter was glued to the spot, with Juno still leaning on him.

“M-mother!” Cecil all but screeched, “But- but you told me th-”

“Oh, hush, Cecil.” She waved her son off, not even turning to look away from Juno. “I heard the way you talked to our darling Juno. I could hear it from all the way down the hall!”

“But I- !”

“No buts! It’s inexcusable! And…” She paused for a second, as if she were trying to remember something, “And what’s more inexcusable is your tardiness! Your talk show is set to air in ten minutes, and where are you?”

“Mother- !”

“Berating the guests!” She cut him off, before shooing him away, “Now out, you, out! Juno and his...” She gave Peter a once over, as if he were nothing more than the bug caught in her heel. “…friend had a perfectly simple request, and you’ve turned it into an inquisition!”

“Min!” Cecil cried, but Min pushed him away.

“Out!” 

Cecil muttered something angrily under his breath as he stomped out, and Peter had to admit; he was liking Kanagawa Manor less and less.

Min simply sighed, rolling her eyes. “Children! I’m so sorry for Cecil’s behavior, Juno, darling, we’ve been turned upside-down since last evening. It’s Croesus’s office you want, isn’t it?”

“If you don’t mind.” Peter said, still uneasy, as Min beamed.

“Not at all.” She replied, letting go of Juno’s arm and starting down the hall, “Follow me.”

“Well,” Peter whispered, as he and Juno followed Min, “That was easy.”

“Don’t count on it.” Juno murmured, expression unreadable.

“I’m sure Cecil told you what the situation has been like on our end,” Min said, as they caught up with her, “Just horrible. At the pace we live, we haven’t even had a moment to mourn poor Croesus yet... there are some moments when I call him to ask a question, only to remember…” She sniffled for a moment, wiping away a single tear. “Horrible, simply horrible.”

“We’re so very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Kanagawa.” Peter replied. He almost meant it, too.

Min smiled, and immediately her tears stopped, as she turned to Juno. “I assume Cecil told you not to say a word about this?”

“Had us sign about a dozen forms to that effect, too.” Juno said, plainly.

“Good.” Min laughed, high and cold, “Oh, I know it seems heartless. ‘This is business’, I tell myself. Where has the soul gone from business? But we’ve shareholders to consider, viewers to appease. This just isn’t the end to Croesus Kanagawa that will satisfy them. We’ll have to keep it quiet until such an end is written.”

“Um, excuse me, Mrs. Kanagawa?” An assistant, maybe an intern of some sort, poked her head in from another room. “The writing team put together these posts for the boss’s feed, but they need signatures.”

Min sighed, “Of course they do.” She turned to shoot Juno a smile, before following the young girl, “I’ll be just a moment, dear.”

“She seems nice.” Peter said after a few moments of silence.

“She always does.” Juno grumbled.

“Pretty, too.” Peter pouted slightly as he leaned on the wall next to Juno.

“Mm-hm.”

“I don’t like the way you’re looking at that woman, Juno.” He teased, which made Juno fake-gag.

“Woman like Min Kanagawa?” He chuckled, “Taking your eye off her is a good way to end up dead.”

Peter paused for a second before asking, “Do you think she killed him?”

Juno seemed to consider that for a moment, and when he answered, he almost seemed disappointed. “No... She’s Croesus’s second wife, and I’m willing to bet good money that she opened that position herself.”

Peter chuckled, “Don’t I remember…” He turned to Juno, “Did you know that job was so clean it took five experts just to prove that the woman was dead?”

Juno nodded, “Killing Kanagawa with the mask, it’s too messy. Not her style, but...” He trailed off, as Min reappeared from behind a pillar.

“Oh, boys! What are you two whispering about back there?” She asked, playfully.

“Ancient history.” Juno beamed up at her.

“How delightful.” She put one hand on Juno’s arm, and spoke, “So sorry to interrupt us with business matters, but the world keeps turning, even when the master is away. Now, Croesus’s office is just around the corner-”

  
She didn’t get to finish her sentence, because just then, a shrill scream erupted from down the hall, making Juno and Peter both jump. Min looked almost completely unperturbed, and Peter reached out for Juno, seeing him pale and his eyes widen in fear.

“What in the hell was that?” Peter asked, steadying Juno.

“I don’t know.” Min replied, gasping, “You don’t think anyone is hurt, do you?”

Before Peter could reply, another scream rang through the hall. He grabbed Juno’s hand and began to run down the hall, towards Croesus’ office.

~+~

Juno already knew who it was, and he knew damn well that Min did, too. There wasn’t a single person in Hyperion City who didn’t recognize that roar… It had played on the Kanagawa stream between the 8th and 9th hour every Thursday since he was fifteen years old. He overtook Glass, pulling him along, as he threw the door open, and there she was, kneeling, looking disheveled, surrounded by stacks and stacks of paper. And on the floor next to her lay the same gun she’d brandished in his face that morning.

“Cass!” He cried out. He didn’t want it to be true, but she smiled up at him, the same smile he’d grown up with.

“Juno!” Cass must’ve seen Glass and Min behind him, because she suddenly hardened, turning on Juno as she yelled, “You took it, didn’t you? You always do this!”

“...You don’t mean the mask, do you?” Juno said after a few seconds, knowing the answer even before Cassandra replied.

“The mask? I don’t care about the mask!”

“Nobody seems to…” Glass sighed, and Cassandra snarled at him, grabbing the blaster as she got to her feet, pointing at him accustorily. 

“I knew it! I knew I couldn’t trust you!” She wailed, “Why is he here, Juno?” She turned the gun on Glass, and yelled; “Get out!”

“Settle down.” Juno held his hands out trying to calm Cass down before she did something she’d regret. “ He’s just here to help us figure this whole thing out.”

“Ms. Kanagawa, my only interest is the mask.” Glass tried to reassure her, still standing behind Juno, “Truly.”

“Talk to them, Cassandra.” Min drawled, sounding almost smug. “It will be alright.”

Cassandra let out a cold laugh, “You’re going to tell me that? Seriously?” She turned back on Juno, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. “You wanna know what I’m looking for, Juno? My papers. You said you’d help me! Well, I’m tired of waiting so I’m leaving now.”

“As is your right as a Martian citizen, Ms. Kanagawa.” Glass cut in, “Once the matter of your father’s death is settled, you’ll be free to go.”

“I’m leaving now.” Cassandra repeated, sniffling.

“Let us clear you, then, and you may go…” Glass said, before turning to Juno, “Isn’t that right, my dear?”

“Just answer a few questions, Cass.” Juno nodded, “If it all lines up, you’ll be free.”

She hesitated for a second, turning to Glass. “You’ll show me where to go?” She asked him, “She can’t stop me?”

“She doesn’t have the right.” Glass smiled down at her, and Min huffed.

“You know I can still hear you, right?”

“This shouldn’t take more than five minutes of your time, Ms. Kanagawa.” Glass said, ignoring Min, and Juno had to admit, it was good to see someone stand up to her for once, even if he probably didn’t mean to.

Cassandra hesitated, before slowly lowering her gun. “You’re on the clock.”

“Ok…” Juno sighed in relief, “What’re you looking for?”

“I already told you.” Cassandra shot back, “My papers.”

“I don’t think so, Cassie.” He replied, “Earlier today, you told me Croesus was going to let you go. That he wasn’t gonna renew your contract. That right?”

“…Sure.” She said.

“We heard a rumor to a slightly different effect.” Glass responded, slowly, as if Cass was going to lash out at any minute, “Is it possible that you were mistaken?”

“I heard him just fine.” Cassandra spat back.

“Perhaps another perspective, then.” Glass continued, calmly. “Is it possible that he… deceived you?”

  
Cassandra shifted backwards, starting to tear up in earnest.

“Don’t tell me your dad never lied to anyone, Cass.” Juno said, “Nobody ever made it in show business telling only little white lies.”

“Just a few questions, huh?” Cass shook as she glared Juno down, “Some questions, when you already know the answers. That contract was a secret, and you took it just to mess with my head, didn’t you!”

“Your father told a lot of lies, Cassandra.” Glass cut in, “A man like that is bound to meet a violent end eventually.”

Cassandra laughed, dry and devoid of humor. “Better late than never.”

“What’d he do? What was so bad that he had to die?”

“It was right here!” Cassandra started to sob in earnest, “Another ten seasons for all of us, twice as many shows… on camera every second of the day, Juno!”

“I thought you said he was going to let your contract lapse?” Juno asked, hanging onto one last thread of disbelief, as if his worst fears weren’t all coming true.

“That’s what he promised! Cassandra cried, falling to her knees, the blaster gong limp in her hand, “That’s what was supposed to happen! And then he– then he stole that stupid mask, and the ratings went up. Everyone’s ratings did, and then… oh god there would’ve been so much money, he was gonna sign me away again, Juno! I just– I couldn’t just let him get away with it!”

“I saw that contract in here about a week ago, when I was looking for him.” She wept, shaking softly, “I brought it into my room to read the thing over, but… I had to put it down for a while. I couldn’t believe it. He promised me, he promised me so many times, and then, when I was finally going to tell him off, the contract was gone. I couldn’t find the damn thing anywhere.”

“It was…” Juno heard a slight whirring behind him, and paled. He’d recognize that whirring anywhere. He turned around slowly, and saw Min, smiling smugly, as the three cameramen behind her filmed the whole sorry scene. “Cass, wait-!”

“He lied to me. And when he found out I knew about it, he snuck into my room and took his contract back. So two nights ago, I finally decided… decided that I’d talk to him about it. One-on-one. Without anybody watching.” She continued, ignoring Juno’s panic.

“I didn’t have anything planned! I was just gonna talk to him. I found him in that room – the one with the mask. He was pissed off the second he saw me, screaming about… I asked him about the contract. He told me he didn’t know what I was talking about, and he just kept screaming about his stupid mask and that stupid glass case he’d spent all that money on. He wouldn’t admit it! He lied to me about my freedom, and he lied to me about the contract, and I couldn’t take it anymore! I just got so mad, I…” She took a deep breath and doubled over, silently sobbing into her hands.

“I pushed him. I didn’t think I pushed him hard enough to break the glass, but… it was enough, I guess. He fell into the case. The mask covered his face, and then… it ripped him apart.”

She couldn’t look up at Juno when she said it. For a minute Juno almost thought it was because she was ashamed. And then he remembered… Cassandra had always been as much of a rebel as she could, and she wasn’t going to silently deliver lines to the camera, let her tears get sent out in high definition over every stream across Mars. Her silence wasn’t shame. It was defiance.

Juno wasn’t mad at her. You can only blame a puppet so much for moving when the strings get pulled. He dropped to his knees and knelt next to her on the floor. She stared at him in fear for a second before reaching out and crying into his shoulder

**“** Juno…” She whispered, her tears staining his coat. “What did I do?”

“Cass, I-” He sighed, glaring at Min. “Nothing. You did nothing, and you’re going to be ok.”

“Gentlemen,” Min smiled smugly, “I think it’s time to take my daughter away now.”

The cameraman began to move towards Cass, and she buried herself further into Juno’s coat, screaming and sobbing as they drew nearer. Juno had 10, maybe 20, seconds to do something, anything. And then he saw it, and right then, he made a decision. It was probably a pretty dumb one, but it was the only one he could make. He had to protect his family. He grabbed Cassandra’s blaster, and levelled it at Min.

“Come one step closer and the boss gets it.”

Min gasped, all but fainting into Glass’ arms. “Juno! How could you?”

“Yes, Juno,” Glass shot him a worried look, “ _ How could you _ ?”

“Nothing personal, Glass.” Juno glared up at Min, trying to connect to Glass through his eyes, hoping he’d understand. “Just show-business.”

“I haven’t the faintest clue what you’re on about.” Min said, flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Juno chuckled, pushing the gun further towards Min and Glass, “Y’know, there are just two things bugging me about this case, and the curse ain’t one of ‘em... That contract. Not like an important document like that to just go missing. Is it, Min?”

Her gaze darkened, as Min motioned to the cameramen to cut the cameras, “Surely a sign of a fractured mind.” She shot Cass a dirty look, who let out a whimper and hid further behind Juno, “Our psychiatric evaluators will get right on it.”

“Your shrinks.” Juno let out a dry laugh, “Of course, that’s where she’s headed…”

“You don’t mean-” Glass began, but Juno cut him off.

“Hoosegow, which is, of course, owned and operated by Croesus- sorry, Min, Kanagawa.” He said, “Y’know what’s real funny about Hoosegow, Min? Cameras everywhere. They cover every inch of the damn place. It’s for security, they say. But… hey, who owns that footage?”

“Cecil, technically.” Min answered simply, “It’s for his shows.”

“Cecil owns the footage. So if someone owns Cecil…” Juno chuckled, glaring holes into Min as she smiled that wicked smile, “It is funny about the contract. Funny how a paper with Croesus’s signature on it just goes missing. And it must be hard for you, Min, but if you take the long view of it, you’re doin’ alright, aren’t you? Croesus’s show was on the decline anyway- !”

“Juno-!” Glass hissed in warning, eyes blowing wide.

“ -Cassandra was going to leave; once people forgot about the mask, you were gonna have two duds on your hands again. But now… now you’ve got a special on the starlet who killed her father, you’ve got a show about her rotting away in jail, and you still have her brother to milk for all he’s worth. Meanwhile, the two people who maybe could’ve stepped in to save the day would get conveniently offed by the Triad and hey, that’s just getting rid of the opposition and the competition. Now, you’ve killed three birds with one stone.” He shot Min a cruel smile. “Sounds about right, Min? Theoretically, I mean.”

MIn giggled. “Theoretically, of course.” She fake pouted at Juno, “If only you had the paper to prove it.”

“It’s a real shame I don’t.” Juno snarled, “I don’t mean much, Min, but I do mean that…”

“You know, Juno,” Min beamed, walking around Glass and through the cameramen, to lay a hand under his chin, “Speaking as one who cares about you, dear, you might want to stay clear of dark alleys for a while. The Kanagawa family doesn’t take well to children who harm their own.”

“I’m not going to let you get away with this, Min.” He shot back, clutching Cassandra’s hand tight.

Min laughed, high and cold, “Oh, darling, I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck here for a long, long time.” Her gaze was icy cold as he pulled out a small jewel encrusted dagger. “You and I, Juno? We’re not exactly the same, now are we? I know how to do what I must, and that’s why I stay at the top. I can make sure I ‘get away’ with anything because I make sure the witnesses don’t.” She held the tip of the knife to his throat, “Now, are you going to let me deal with my… troublesome daughter, or are you going to get in my way? There is a correct answer.”   
  


Juno smirked, “Sure thing, Min,” He looked up at Glass, “You got all that?”

Min whipped around just in time to see Glass pulling up a holofile. Turns out non-verbal communication works pretty well, because Juno could see himself in the video that Glass had taken, shielding Cass.

_ “Now you’ve got a special on the starlet who killed her father, you’ve got a show about her rotting away in jail, and you still have her brother to milk for all he’s worth… Meanwhile, the two people who maybe could’ve stepped in to save the day would get conveniently offed by the Triad and hey, that’s just getting rid of the opposition and the competition. Now, you’ve killed three birds with one stone.Sounds about right, Min? Theoretically, I mean.” _

_ “Theoretically, of course. If only you had the paper to prove it.” _

_ “I can make sure I ‘get away’ with anything because I make sure the witnesses don’t. Now, are you going to let me deal with my troublesome daughter, or are you going to get in my way?” _

_ “Are you going to get in my way?” _

_ “Are you going to get in my way?” _

_ “Get in my way?” _

_ “Get in my wa a a a aa y-....?”  _ The image of Min began to freeze as the clip came to an end. In real life, Min was paling, her eyes wide in fear. It was the first time Juno had ever seen her like that. Within a second or too, Min regained her composure.

“And what?” She sneered, “Is that supposed to scare me? You think you’ll make it out of here alive to even publish that video?”   
  


“I don’t need to.” Glass replied, tossing around the drive. “The footage has already been sent to the HCPD.”

“And you really think the HCPD can do anything?” Min laughed, “Those useless idiots don’t want to help you, of all people! Especially not if they have to cross Min Kanagawa to do it.”

Glass smirked at Min, “I never said  _ I _ sent them the footage, now did I?”

Min turned around, gaping in shock and Juno looked over his shoulder to see Cecil standing by the door, his comms open.

“Cecil!” Min hissed, “What. Are. You. Doing?”

“Something I should’ve done long ago.” Cecil said, a determined look in his eyes that Juno hadn’t seen since they were kids. “The HCPD are already on their way, and unless you want Juno and the Angel to use those guns of theirs, you’ll go quietly.”

“You’re going to regret this, you little shit.” Min snarled, “You’re all going to regret this!”

“The only thing I regret is letting you hurt my sister for so long.” Cecil spat out, looking at Min as if she disgusted him. Maybe it was anger, or maybe it was pity, Juno didn’t particularly care to know. 

Cecil looked up as a couple officers seemed to approach in the hall, their footsteps echoing through the room. Glass ducked out of the room, sprinting past Cecil to hide behind a pillar. The cameramen turned to each other in confusion, as if wondering what to do.

“Don’t just stand there!” Min cried, “Get them! Do your goddamn jobs!”

The tallest cameramen looked over at Cecil, who nodded. The cameramen paused for a second before leaning down and grabbing Min.

“You-” She cried, “You can’t do this! I am the head of this family, and you- you will show me some respect!”

“I’m done respecting you.” Cecil replied, brow furrowing as he stood up straighter, “It’s fairly simple, mother dearest… The Kanagawas are under new management.”

The cameramen dragged her into the hallway towards the HCPD officers as she tried to claw free, kicking and screaming. Juno didn’t know how, but he knew it wasn’t the last he’d see of Min Kanagawa. But right now, that wasn’t important.

Cass kept shaking in Juno’s arms, when Cecil knelt down next to them to take Cass into his own. She froze for a second before melting into the hug. Juno leaned back on his hands, smiling as he watched the twins cry into each other's hair.

“I’m sorry…” Cass sniffled, and Cecil shook his head.

“No, I’m sorry,” He pulled back, clasping her hands in his own. “I shouldn’t have ignored it for so long. I just… I wanted things to be perfect, but-... But she was hurting you.”

“She hurt you too,” Cass muttered.

“That doesn’t make it any better.” Cecil chuckled, “If anything it makes it worse... God, they really fucked up all of us Kanagawa kids, huh?” He shot Juno a look, which could have meant any number of things, but right now ‘get your ass over here and give your siblings a hug’ seemed like a pretty accurate translation. “You too, Juno.”

“You guys know I’m not much of a-” Juno trailed off as Cassandra grabbed him and dragged him to the floor, tackling him in a hug. “...Hugger…”

“If I have to hug this prick,” She cackled, “So do you.”

Cecil began to laugh with Cass, and after a while, Juno couldn’t help but join in. If Ben had been here, he’d say it was just like old times, before Croesus and Min managed to break them down. Just a bunch of kids lying on the floor and laughing into each other’s arms. Out of the corner of his eye, Juno could see Glass hanging back by the doorway.

“You wanna get in on the hugging?” Juno asked him, jokingly. Glass went scarlet before laughing nervously.

“I’d really rather not.” Juno, Cass and Cecil exchanged looks before bursting into another fit of giggles.

“Someone didn’t get the memo that we don’t bite.” Cass teased, and Glass raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know about you, Ms. Kanagawa, but it seems that you and I have experienced two very different days.” Glass smiled as he offered her a hand up, yelping when Cass dragged him down with her. Juno laughed as glass landed gently next to him on the floor.

“Gotta say,” He said, “That was a hell of a trick the two of you pulled.”

“It was your plan, Juno dear.” Glass replied with a laugh, “Shouldn’t you get some credit?”

“Hey, I just thought of the first bit.” Juno raised his hands in surrender, “The HCPD and badass dethroning was all you two. How’d you even pull that off?”

“Well, it was rather simple.” Glass shrugged, “I simply traced Cecil’s comms, started a private line, and broadcasted my feed to him.”

“Then, I just had to forward my calls to the HCPD.” Cecil added, “With your Angel recording it as a holofile for backup, it was a pretty smooth operation.”

“I understood most of those words, but not in that order.” Juno deadpanned, only half-joking. Glass and the twins thought it was funny though, and seeing them laugh would have to be enough for now.

“So…” Cass asked after a moment, “What’s next?”

“Well,” Glass sighed, standing up and offering Juno a hand to do the same, which he took, mostly because of his leg, and only maybe 20% because of how soft Glass’ hands were. “I have to get Juno safely home and deal with any of the loose ends of this case, including making sure your mother faces a full sentence.” He laid a hand on Cassandra’s shoulder, “I did not go through this much bullshit just for either of us to be faced with murder charges. Again.”

“I have to deal with the last of Grim’s mask,” Cecil said, “Get it safely in a new case and whatnot. And then you and I,” He linked arms with Cassandra as he led her out the room and into a new life, “Have an empire to rule.”

~+~

“Well…” Peter cleared his throat awkwardly as they exited Kanagawa Manor. “All’s well that ends well, eh, Juno?” Juno didn’t answer for a second, and Peter laughed nervously, “Admittedly we’ll need to broaden our definition of ‘well,’ but…” He trailed off. Juno was still staring into the horizon, silent and pensieve.

“Juno, you aren’t going to give me the silent treatment all evening, are you? Your overbearing misanthropy is part of your charm, but this is a bit much.” Peter joked, and Juno let out a huff.

“I don’t know, Glass…” Juno rubbed the back of his neck, “I guess I’m just not in a mood to celebrate right now.”

“Oh come on,” Peter leaned on the garden fence as Juno walked past him, “Surely you aren’t just going to mope! We just solved a murder and put a corrupt woman in jail!”

“But what good is that actually going to do?” Juno cut him off, face filled with worry, “We both know that Min will find a way out eventually and then she’ll probably just be worse than ever!”

“Juno…”

“She’s going to want revenge, and we still have to deal with what’s left of the Triad, and-!”

“Juno!” Peter took Juno’s hands as he let out a laugh, “My dear, these are problems for another day. And frankly, they're not your problems.”

“Yeah, but they’re yours.” Juno replied, and Peter shot him a smile.

“While I find your concern touching,” He winked at Juno, which earned a pair of rolling eyes, “I think I can handle a little crime here and there. Right now, my main concern is that my present company insists on being a petulant pessimist.” He smiled wickedly at Juno as an idea bloomed in his head, “But I’m sure I’ll find a remedy for that soon enough…”

“What?” Juno’s eyes blew wide, and he shook his head, laughing, “Oh no, oh no no no no no-”

By the time he’d gotten to the 7th ‘no’ it was too late. Peter had already scooped Juno up into his arms and taken off across the lawn. He let the wings spread out behind him and the two of them set off into the sky, Juno letting out a yelp and wrapping his arms around Peter’s neck.

“When are you going to start giving me some kind of warning?” He asked, trying and failing to look angry.

“Well, that would entirely defeat the purpose wouldn’t it?” Peter quipped, “Now, give me your hand.”

“You’re not going to drop me, are you?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Peter replied, “Simply wanted to give you the scenic experience.”

Juno seemed apprehensive, but he took Peter’s hand nonetheless, gasping slightly as his feet fell out of Peter’s grasp.

“Don’t worry,” Peter whispered, wrapping one hand around Juno’s waist to hold him steady. “I've got you.”

Juno took a deep breath and relaxed taking a few steps on the empty air as Peter held them up. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a dazed laugh.

“It’s…” Terrifying? Cloudy? Too cold to fly without proper pants? Quite a few words came to Peter’s mind.

“It’s beautiful,” Juno said, beaming, as his eyes darted from building to building.

Beautiful. Huh. Peter hadn’t thought of Hyperion City as beautiful in a while. Enough G.A Bots and murderous politician’s could do that to a person. But looking back and trying to see the city through Juno’s eyes, he had to agree. The bright lights, the vines creeping up every other building, the tall trees and glowing stars… Hyperion City in the night truly was stunning. Peter felt like he was 17 again, flying through the city for the first time, and marvelling at its beauty. And here he was now, 12 years later, with Juno Aurinko - Steel, a different beauty altogether. Peter flew absentmindedly as he listened to Juno’s excited ranting.

“We must be over Olympus Mons right now…” Juno gasped, pointing down at a nearby building, still grasping Peter’s hand, “That must be the central import dock! Oh, and behind it, that’s the Oldtown Public School, or the old one at least. And that slightly less broken building must be the new one. And that must be the border, right? Which means that that’s the Nexus Theatre, and that must be Apollonia Tower, and... “ He turned to Peter, eyes glinting in the dark, his smile wider than Peter had seen all day. “Can you drop us down on the tower? It’ll just be a minute?”

Peter chuckled, “As you wish, m’lady.” He hovered around Orion tower for a few seconds, circling it twice as Juno gently stepped down onto the roof. As Peter descended, he saw Juno pulling out his comms, pacing back and forth, trying to find a good angle for a photo.

“See something you like?” Peter asked, leaning on a tall pole as he stared at Juno.

“I- Yeah,” Juno smiled slightly, “I just… I realized that from here, we can see the whole city. Old and Maintown, both in full color and light, and… I don’t know… I guess there’s just…”

“Something specially beautiful about something broken?” Peter offered and Juno chuckled.

“Yeah, that.” He pulled Peter by the hand to the ledge and began to point out more landmarks. “See that little dot in the distance? That’s the Hyperion Institute of the Arts, and about two blocks over, that’s Brahma Corp. Then that faint purple glow coming from that small flat building? That’s my place… if you look really closely, you can see Rita, working on her latest piece, and my brother downstairs playing Uno with his boyfriend. And then back over on Uptown, that’s my ma’s place. You can even see the light from the lighthouse.” He laughed, “I guess we’re on a lighthouse of our own, huh?”

“I always did wonder why the Aurinko’s had a lighthouse…” Peter wondered aloud, leaning on hand and looking up at Juno expectantly, “Go on, regale me.”

“Well, it’s kind of a long story.” Juno said, “But basically my tatara tatara tatarabuelo built it as an engagement gift for my tatara tatara tatarabuela. Extra as hell, I know. But, it became a tradition of sorts. Every Aurinko gets engaged on that pavilion… My moms did too. I remember Buddy told me that story once. She and Vespa had just finished a heist and she wanted to just relax with her girlfriend. So she and Vespa went up to look at the stars and it started to rain, and so they got stuck, and they started dancing. And I remember Vespa telling me that… that was the moment. It was just like a small shock, something wild possessed her, she dipped my mom, kissed her and asked her to marry her. No ring, no speech, just Vespa and Buddy, Buddy and Vespa. And Buddy just… said yes.” He let out a laugh, “Can you imagine being that in love with someone? That even when it’s cold and wet, and everything’s going to hell, you can just see them laugh… and know that you want to be with them forever?”

Peter hummed in agreement, his eyes not moving from Juno’s face as he looked out over the city.

“My moms still went out there when I was a kid… Whenever it rained, or they just felt down, we could see them from the window, dancing and laughing.” Juno smiled sadly, “It always made me happy that even through everything… they still had each other.”

Peter paused for a second, before standing up straight and holding his hand out to Juno. Juno just stared at it in confusion.

“What are you doing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as if to hide his growing smile.

“I’m asking you to dance with me.” Peter gave Juno a showy bow, “M’lady.”

“Glass,” Juno giggled nervously, “There’s no music.”

“Is that a no?” Peter replied, and Juno rolled his eyes once before taking his hand. Peter pulled him in close, wrapping one arm around Juno’s waist and grasping the other tight as he led him in a waltz. Juno smiled softly, bringing one arm up to rest on Peter’s shoulder.

“You know… you’re very handsome when you’re like this.” Peter mused, smirking slightly as Juno shot him a disdainful look.

“Making a fool of myself by dancing with a stranger on a rooftop with no music?”

“At ease…” Peter replied, spinning Juno around once, “Far too often you seem like you spite the world, and, if I may, I rather like when you’re happy. You’re a very complex lady, Juno Steel, but you certainly deserve to be happy more.”

“Oh, yeah?” Juno asked, “Do go on about my… complexity.”

“Gladly,” Peter said, as they turned in tandem, “Juno Steel is an art student, who somehow manages to see the beauty in the world while simultaneously frowning down at it. He likes bad wine and probably is a bit of a romantic, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. He loves his friends, his siblings and his moms.” He smiled, as he led Juno into a twirl. “He’s an excellent judge of character, and if he ever set his mind to it, would probably make a pretty good superhero. And even though he won’t admit it, he’s growing increasingly fond of this new guy in a dumb suit who took him on a life changing trip across the city.”

“Is that so?” Juno laughed, “Well, I guess I would make a pretty good detective huh? I totally nailed this Kanagawa case.”

“I’d say it was a team effort,” Peter teased, “But yes, I’m rather inclined to agree. Only…” He pulled Juno back in and asked, “I was wondering. In Kanagawa’s office, you said there were two things bothering you, but you only mentioned one. What was the other?”

Juno smiled, “You know Glass, I think I’ve got a pretty good read on you too.”

“Is that so?” Peter chuckled, “Well?”

Juno paused for a moment, pretending to think. “The Angel of Hyperion is a vigilante superhero who rescues kittens and has tea with old ladies and protects us from killer robots. Rex Glass is an insufferable flirt, a pretty good shot, a bit of a stuck-up prick, and a bit of a sucker for hugs, not going to lie.” He sighed, “As for the man underneath all... that… I have no clue.”

“Oh, I’d say you do.” Peter smirked as he led Juno into a dip, “I’d say you’re one of the few who does…” 

As he pulled Juno back up, he became increasingly aware of how close the two of them were. Juno must’ve as well, but he showed no signs of backing down. He shifted his hand from Peter’s neck to his cheek, cupping his face, and pulling him down. Peter’s grip tightened around Juno’s waist as he pulled the lady up slightly, clutching his coat as their lips collided. It was the kind of kiss that felt like it was going to last the rest of your life, the type Peter had never thought he’d get to have, that he deserved to have. The kind that when it was over, you were left searching and chasing for more, even if you know you know you got more than you had earned. Peter was left clinging to the warm lips that had been on his own seconds ago, a small, desperate hope for more, and Juno Steel.

“Rex…” Juno gasped against his neck, and Peter leaned in further, smiling as he brought Juno close to him once again.

“Juno…” He breathed, and Juno smiled, leaning back in, and seizing him by the lips again. He laughed into Juno, but Juno simply pulled back. From further away, Peter realised that Juno’s were glistening with tears, now recognizing his smile for what it was; sad.

“Why did you do it…?” Juno whispered into the air, and Peter frowned.

“Juno, what are you-”

“Why did you steal the Mask of Grimpoteuthis?” He asked, firmer this time, eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and anger.

“I- I haven’t the faintest clue what you’re talking about.” Peter chuckled nervously, stepping back from Juno.

“You wanted to know what the second thing was?” Juno crossed his arms as he glared at Peter, “It was the mask’s case. A perfectly circular cut, the kind of cut that compass in your little infinity-pocket might be able to make. You had plasma knives and cutters to spare, and heck, I’m willing to bet that right now, the mask is sitting in there too.”

Peter opened his mouth to try to argue, but he saw Juno’s expression and knew it was a lost cause. “Very perceptive,” He sighed, “I knew I’d regret letting you peek in there, but our options were... limited.”

“I had it figured out before then.” Juno shook his head, blinking back tears. “You called the case “smashed.” It wasn’t smashed, it was clearly broken into. A burglary, not a struggle. Why the hell would Croesus Kanagawa’s killer take the mask out so quietly, and then leave it behind like that? You must have been interrupted. You cut that circle in the glass, but didn’t have time to pull it out because then Croesus came along.” Juno let out a cold laugh. “You know, I don’t know what’s worse. That you’ve been lying to me this whole time, or that you were ready to let Cassandra take the fall for all of it.”

“Juno, I would never-!” Peter began to protest.   
  


“So, was all that good old morality a lie too?” Juno cut him off, eyes wild with fury, “And all your sympathy and your… dumb first aid and nice hugs and the chivalry and the joking and your whole fairytale prince bullshit and-… god, did you really think I was that much of an idiot?” He could see the tears beginning to flow down Juno’s face, and stepped forward to comfort him, but Juno flinched back like he’d burnt him.

“What do you even want with the mask, huh? Aren’t you meant to be some kind of hero?” Juno sneered.

“Juno…” Peter sighed, “I- I need you to trust me. I never meant to cause the Kanagawa’s any harm, I just… I needed the mask for a… a job, I know this sounds horrible and suspicious, but Juno you have to believe me, I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“Why should I believe you?” Juno shot back, “Why should I trust anything you say to me, or anything you’ve said so far? How the hell am I supposed to know that all of… this hasn’t been a lie?”

Peter actually flinched, taking a step back at that point. “I am many things Juno. A thief, a vigilante, hell, if you really want to go there, you can add murderer to the list. But I am not a cruel man, and I wouldn’t lie to you.” He stepped towards Juno and crossed his arms.

“Besides, we both know it’s not me you’re angry with, now is it?”

Juno laughed, dry and humorless, shaking his head, “Oh no, I’m not having this conversation with you.”

Peter gestured around them, “Well, it’s hardly like there’s anyone else to talk to, hmm? And it’s not like you can get off this tower without my help, either.”

Juno turned away from Peter and leaned on the edge of the roof, wiping away his tears. “What would I even say to her?” He sniffled, “This is ridiculous.”

“It is not,” Peter rested a hand on his shoulder, “Juno, the only way you’re going to feel better about this is by going to her. I know it’s scary, but you don’t really have any other options.”

“How do you know she won’t hate me more?” Juno asked, “What if I just make things worse.”

“I don’t think anyone can really hate someone as lovely as Juno Steel.” Peter offered a smile, and Juno shot him a small one. He paused for a second before throwing his arms around Peter’s neck and hugging him tight.

“Juno, what-?” Peter began, but Juno cut him off, sniffling into his shoulder.

“Don’t question it.” Peter chuckled, and wrapped an arm around Juno.

~+~

They soared over various buildings as they approached Aurinko Manor. It was relatively simple compared to some of the outrageous things the other families called decor, but right now, it loomed large over Juno.

“Glass,” He whimpered as The Angel set him down through the second floor window. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“It’ll be fine, Juno,” Glass said, squeezing his hand gently, “I’ll be right here.”

Juno nodded, taking a couple deep breaths, before he started walking down the halls. He’d been back to Aurinko Manor hundreds of times since he’d moved, but suddenly it felt… different almost. The portraits smiled larger, the colors were more vibrant, and when he saw Vespa sitting on the couch of the living room, reading a book on appendectomy, he could swear she was glowing in the pale light. He stood by the doorway for a few seconds before she shifted, looking up and letting out a small yelp when she saw him.

“Juno!” She started, “I- How did you get into the- I didn’t-?”   
  


“Vespa.” Juno said, closing his eyes and trying to maintain focus. “Vespa, I-... I-”

“Juno…” She began to speak, but she trailed off as Juno collapsed at her feet, sobbing into her lap. “Juno!”

“Vespa, I-” He felt the tears streaming down his face but he had to get it out now. “Vespa, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, I never should’ve- I’m sorry, Vespa, I’m so sorry.”

“Vespa?” He could hear Buddy calling from downstairs, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, Bud, I just-” She began to answer, but got cut off by Juno.

“I never should’ve picked up that blaster, I never should’ve hurt you, I was meant to protect you, I never- I- Vespa, I’m so sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.” He sobbed.

Vespa paled. “Juno… Is this about…?” His silent tears must’ve been answer enough for her, because she pulled him up onto the couch, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.

“Why was it me?” He asked, weeping into her shoulder, “I know why you hated me later, but… why did you hate me then? I was just a kid, Ves, and I-... why was it me?”

“Oh, mijo,” She ran a hand through his hair. “I could never hate you…”

“But, the hospital-” Juno sobbed as she cupped his cheeks, “That day- You saw me, and I know that Buddy always tells me I’m paranoid, but I-... Things were so different, I just- I know you hated me for all of it Vespa.”

“Juno, no…” She whispered, “I could never hate you, kid… and I never blamed you either.”

“But, why-?”   
  


“Juno, you never came to me in the hospital.” Vespa pressed her face into his shoulder, “You could never look me in the eye, we practically didn’t talk for 15 years.” He felt his jacket grow wet, as Vespa began to cry too. “I thought- I knew that after that day in the garden, you were afraid of me… who wouldn’t be? You were just a kid, and I was… it doesn’t matter. I could’ve hurt you, and I-”

“But  _ I _ hurt  _ you _ !” Juno cried, “How can you just- Forgive that?”

“It was never you I had to forgive, mijo.” She smiled sadly, “I just- I thought you’d want your space and when you never came back-... well.”

“But, why me?” He asked again, “Why was I in all your nightmares? Why was I your biggest fear?”

“Oh kid,” Vespa sighed, “You were never my nightmare, I just… Your mother and Ben always had each other. They were the perfect little socialites, but you… You were me. Bumbling and awkward, and scared. And you were thrown into it all at such a young age and I just… I was scared that I was going to lose you. So when I saw you that day in the garden, I- I couldn’t handle it. I just wanted, I needed you to be better than Vespa Ilkay. I needed you to be an Aurinko.”

“I never wanted to be an Aurinko…” He wept, “I just wanted to be yours…”

Vespa sobbed into his hair, pulling him in, so that he was curled up halfway over her, pressed up next to her while she ran her hands down his back, kissing his forehead and crying apologies into his hair. He felt like a child, but for once, he felt safe.

“I’m so sorry, Juno, I’m so sorry-” She whispered, her tears staining his cheek.

He could hear Buddy stepping in and gasping when she saw them.

“Juno, wha-?”

She must’ve seen the tears because, a second later, Buddy was with them, holding Juno and Vespa and whispering promises of love and safety into their skin. Juno let himself relax in his mother’s arms and, that’s when he saw him. Outside the window, hovering gently with a small smile across his face, was the Angel of Hyperion. Juno tried for a small smile, laughing softly as the tears flowed freely down his face, hoping his eyes could express what he couldn’t say.

_ Thank you. _

The Angel, Glass, shot him a smirk, and Juno made the mistake of blinking. By the time he opened his eyes, Glass was long gone, in a flash of blue and white.

A few hours later, after they’d all but lost all of the water in their body, and Buddy had insisted in feeding Juno, Juno wandered into his old bedroom. He’d been laying with Vespa and Buddy in the living room, but they’d fallen asleep hours ago, and he knew he’d never get any sleep on the couch. He ran a hand over his old dresser, smiling at the old pictures of Ben, and Sasha, and Vespa and Buddy, and… that’s when he saw it. A note, with Juno’s name on it. The Angel must’ve snuck in and left it without them noticing, Juno would’ve believed he could do anything.

_ Juno, _

_ I apologize for my sudden departure, but alas, the world waits for no man. Unfortunately, I do believe our time together has come to an end. It’s not every day that a stream star gets murdered, after all. If you wish for one last glimpse of me, watch the public access feed for Route 742. Somewhere around Mercury Drive, I suspect… but no farther than Vulcanis Way. Get a good look, my dear: it may be your last.  _

_ I do hope it isn’t, though. I meant every word I said, Juno. _

_ I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit, you see. I think that you and I would make a rather good team. Just imagine, Juno and the Angel, fighting crime, protecting the innocent, saving the day. It’s an optimistic fantasy, but it would be quite an adventure, would it not? It’s like I said, Juno, it would take a very special person indeed… _

_ I’ve attached the code to a private comms line to the back of this note. Simply insert it into your comms, or perhaps have Rita do it for you. When you’re in need, or trouble, or maybe you’d just want to see me (unrealistic, I know, but a man can hope), I’ll be on the other end, waiting for you to join me. It could be a grand one, Juno… and I’ll be here, whenever you’re ready. _

_ Signed, _

_ Your Better Half, _

_ Peter Nureyev _

Juno supposed that’s how it is in Hyperion City. One day she’s your mother, the next you're crying on her couch. One day he’s your partner, the next he’s... gone. Juno tried not to feel too hung up about it. Glass or Nureyev or whoever he was, well, Juno still didn’t know if he trusted him, or if he’d even keep the comms link. For all he knew, he might just throw it out the next day.

Still, if Juno held tight to the letter as he fell asleep, thinking of an adventure with Peter Nureyev… well, that wasn’t anyone’s business, now was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK the romance, this is a chapter about FAMILY


	12. I want to get close to you (you are my dream come true)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My name is…” his eyes fell to his shirt, patterned with pink and red roses against the stark black, and the name clicked together.
> 
> “Rose!” He exclaimed, chuckling nervously as Juno gave him an incredulous look. “Desrosiers, to be exact, Jove Desrosiers.” Juno glanced down at Peter’s outfit in disbelief.
> 
> “I’m a narcissist.” Peter added quickly, sure that his face was the same hue as the flowers on his shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me writing this was just 'how many hints can i drop that juno is desi'

When Juno’s alarm went off the next morning, he noticed three things:

  1. His bed was much softer than usual
  2. He was holding some kind of paper and
  3. Someone was... singing



He groaned, rubbing his eyes as the sunlight streaming in from the windows hit his face. And then, he remembered.

The Mask, Cass and Cecil, Vespa and Buddy, and… the note. He glanced down at his hand, smoothening it out. He must’ve crumpled it up in his sleep, but it was still legible.

_ Your better half, _

_ Peter Nureyev _

So, that was 2 mysteries solved… Juno grabbed his comms, checking the time. 6:30. Which meant he had to get to the Penumbra ASAP if he didn’t want his friends moaning about missing breakfast all day. He hesitated, considering the comms link Glass-, Nureyev, had left him. Logically, Juno had no reason to keep it. Nureyev had been lying to him all day, by all means, he should’ve just thrown it into the trash. But something about that note…

_ Your better half, _

_ Peter Nureyev _

Well, it wasn’t like he’d ever need to use the comms line, but… An adventure with Peter Nureyev... didn’t sound half bad. He slipped it into his comms and watched a small icon pop up on the screen, a single blue and white dot. Juno shoved his comms into his pocket and made his way downstairs. The singing got louder as he approached the kitchen, but Juno still couldn’t make out the voice… It was deeper than he expected, a little bit tired, but… warm.

He turned the corner and saw Vespa by the counter, flipping what looked like pancakes and… singing.

“ If I could make days last forever ,” She hummed as she spun around a table, “ If words could make wishes come true, I'd save every day like a treasure and then again, I would spend them with you…”

Juno began to remember the song now. It was an old Earth tune, like the records Jet used to bring by. He could remember that after one of Jet and Vespa’s ‘bonding days’, they'd brought home a bunch of these discs and had put them into the jukebox in the lighthouse. Buddy always loved those old earth trinkets, Rita did too. He didn’t know why, but Jet always seemed to be fond of simple music, just a gentle hum of words and the strings of a guitar. It seemed to put him at ease. And Vespa, she always pretended to barely tolerate it all, but Juno knew she loved it just as much as the others, if only to see her family happy. Ben used to skip around the garden, dancing, and they’d all be close behind, laughing and running along.

Maybe it had been the hours of cuddling and whispered words, but Juno felt like he was back there now, laughing with his family, as he watched Vespa singing in the kitchen.

“But there never seems to be enough time, to do the things you want to do, once you find them…” She sang under her breath, smiling slightly as Buddy appeared in the doorway of their room. “I’ve looked around enough to know, that you’re the one I wanna go through time with...” Vespa laughed as her wife pressed a kiss to her cheek. Buddy cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.

“Ok, are you two finished traumatizing me?” Juno joked, smirking as Vespa lept back, “Or are you gonna continue being all lovey-dovey?”   
  


“Oh, hardy har har,” Vespa batted him lightly on the head with a spoon, “Am I not allowed to be in love?”

“Not within my line of sight preferably.” He groaned as Buddy pressed another kiss into her wife’s hair.

“Will you be staying for breakfast darling?” Buddy asked as she pulled a chair at the table. “Vespa made crepes.”

“I’ll have to pass,” Juno said, kissing the top of Buddy’s head as she hummed into her mug of coffee. “I have to go help Rita and Ben at the cafe.”

“Least we can do is pack you something,” Vespa handed him a small box with two pancakes folded neatly, with a thin layer of chocolate sauce in between. Juno smiled, kissing her quickly on the cheek before making his way out of Aurinko Manor. “Stay safe, mijo!”

“And do say hello to Rita for us!”

As he walked down the steps of the Hyperion Subway, he flipped through his comms. So far he had 22 worried voicemails from Rita, 12 from Mick, 3 from Sasha, and 1 from Ben. 

Juno stifled a laugh as he exited the station, walking calmly towards the Penumbra Patisserie, as Rita’s panicked voice rang out from his comms. Rita did always make such a fuss about these things. One time, he’d missed a single class to help Alessandra find a fake i.d and she nearly called his moms. Not her best moment. But, when he opened the door of the Penumbra and she came barreling into his arms, he couldn’t seem to care.

“Mistah Steel!” She cried, clutching his coat tight, “You’re ok!”

“Course I am, Rita.” He chuckled, “What, you thought I’d just disappear?”

“I don’t know!” She wailed, pulling back to glare at him, “You can’t just do that, Mistah Steel! Had us all worried, with you not answering your comms and that- That-!”   
  


“Ok, ok!” Ben laughed nervously pulling her away from Juno. “I think he gets the idea, Ritz.”

“You’re sure you’re ok?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “No life-threatening injuries?”

“I’m fine, Rita,” Juno said, letting Rita pat him down to check for injuries.

“If you insist,” She replied after a second of consideration. She pat him twice on the shoulder before reaching up and grabbing him by the ear, “But if you EVER scare me like that again…!”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” Juno exclaimed, kneeling down next to Rita, “Yeah, yeah, I got it, never scare you like that again, I learned my lesson!”

“You better have.” Rita scolded, marching back into the back room as Ben laughed into his coffee.

“Oh, what’re you looking at?”

“Nothing.” Ben teased, “Just watching a big, tough lady get schooled by a mini-Andromeda.”

“Well, if you keep it up, this ‘big, tough lady’ isn’t going to make you any breakfast.” Juno shot back, tossing the box of crepes at Ben. “So shut your mouth and go give your boyfriend some crepes.”

“Yes ma’am.”

~+~

To say that Peter Nureyev was both physically and emotionally drained would be something of an understatement. Peter had spent the whole night trying to get some more information. He’d barely managed to get the mask to Miasma when it all pearshaped.

_ “I don’t understand what my plans have to do with our deal, Angel.” Miasma hissed. Peter fidgeted nervously as he strained to look past Miasma, to see what looked like a trapdoor of some sort. If he focused, he could swear he heard someone struggling behind it. _

_ “Nothing at all,” He replied, clearing his throat, “I only thought that perhaps I’d get to learn what cause I’m serving.” _

_ “Well, you thought wrong.” Miasma sneered, “What I do with my items after you procure them is none of your concern. Not unless you’d like all of Hyperion to know that The Angel of Hyperion is actually one Peter R-” _

_ “That-!” Peter cut her off, taking a deep breath, chuckling, “That won’t be necessary.” _

_ Miasma smirked, her eyes glinting cruelly in the dim lights of the bunker. “Now, if you’re done hindering my progress, I suggest you remove yourself from these premises before I change my mind.” _

So the confrontation was… less than fruitful. But that didn’t mean Peter had to stop his investigation. It was becoming ever clearer to him that Miasma’s plans did not spell anything good for his city and… as much as he valued his secret identity, it wasn’t worth the safety of others, especially those he cared about.

Peter had spent the night combing through database after database of information about ancient martian artifacts. They’d always given him the creeps, just the knowledge of an ancient race of intelligent life that built such beautiful, intricate things, and then one day just… vanished into thin air… well, suffice to say, it didn’t sit well with him. He knew a little too much about disappearing for an entire species to vanish without feeling uncomfortable at the thought. But, he was on a mission, so he read… and read, and read, and read, for hours on end, coming up with… nothing.

It was just his luck that Miasma had written half of the articles he found herself. She was obviously an expert, but she was good at hiding her tracks. Peter searched and searched, to no avail. He probably would’ve continued searching if M’Tendere hadn’t hit him over the head with a frying pan and dumped him on the couch to sleep at 3 am.

_ “You owe me so much child support…” They’d grumbled as they’d dragged Peter up the stairs. _

_ “Love you too, M’Dere…” He’d slurred back, already half asleep. _

By the time he’d woken up, he was too weak and tired to pursue the Miasma case any further. So, he dragged himself out of the house and walked down to find something to cheer himself up. Peter Ransom may have a full day of work ahead, but Peter Nureyev needed a break. And luckily, he thought he might know a good place to get one.

“Hey, new guy!” Juno called, turning away from the counter as Peter stepped into the Penumbra, “You’re back!”

“Indeed I am,” Peter smiled languidly as he slid into a seat at the counter. “I hope I’m not too early for coffee and pleasant company.”

Juno chuckled, leaning on the counter, “No, no, not at all.” He turned off the stove as he pulled out a couple of bowls. “I was just making Rita some breakfast. She runs the cafe in the morning while I’m in class, so I usually make sure she has something healthier than salmon snacks to eat.” He held out a bowl of steaming hot poha to Peter. “Care for a hit?”

“If that’s alright with you and Miss Rita, of course,” Peter replied, taking the bowl as Juno nodded. He picked up a spoonful and took a bite. 

“Oh my lord,” Peter groaned, shoveling the poha into his mouth as fast as possible, while Juno laughed, “This is quite possibly the most delectable thing I have ever eaten.”

“I’m sure you tell that to all the ladies who give you free breakfast,” Juno quipped.

“Y’know,” He asked after a second, “I never got your name?”

Peter paused, his spoon an inch away from his mouth. “My name?” He sputtered, earning a raised eyebrow from Juno, “Why, yes, of course, I, uh-... Have one of those…” Peter cleared his throat awkwardly. He usually never had this much trouble coming up with names. He scanned the cafe for something, anything. “My name is…” his eyes fell to his shirt, patterned with pink and red roses against the stark black, and the name clicked together.

“Rose!” He exclaimed, chuckling nervously as Juno gave him an incredulous look. “Desrosiers, to be exact, Jove Desrosiers.” Juno glanced down at Peter’s outfit in disbelief.

“I’m a narcissist.” Peter added quickly, sure that his face was the same hue as the flowers on his shirt.

“...Nice to meet you Jove,” Juno said after a moment, “Gotta say, I didn't peg you as one of those fancy name types.”

Peter choked on his bite of poha, before clearing his throat and replying, “Well, I suppose we don’t know each other well enough to fully… ‘peg’ one another as anything, no?”

  
Juno smiled, “Yeah, I guess.” He paused for a moment, considering something. “Hey, today’s probably your first day at Brahma Corp, right?”   
  


“Well, yes,” Peter replied flatly, trying not to let his cover away.

“Well, you’re new in town, and Brahma Corp is only a couple blocks away from Hyperion U.” Juno shot him a smile, leaning on the counter as he handed Peter a black coffee. “What do you say we take a walk?”

“I-...” Peter hesitated. He had no rational reason to turn Juno down, other than his innate fear of spending more than 30 seconds in a room with him, and Juno was staring up at him with those hopeful eyes…

“Oh, why not? Lead the way, Mr. Steel.”

~+~

They walked down the streets of Hyperion City side by side, chatting lightly as cars and time flowed past.

“So, you’re from New Kinshasa, huh?” Juno asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Jove shrugged.

“Sort of.” He replied, “Ma- My father never liked to stay in one place too long. So if I wasn’t travelling with him, I was there. Not an ideal place to spend one’s childhood, but we made it work.”

“New Kinshasha...” Juno chuckled, “Well, can’t have been worse than Oldtown.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t too bad?” Jove offered.

“The legal drinking age was 8, Jove.” Juno deadpanned.

“Ah.” Jove paused for a second, making Juno laugh, “Yes, that does sound rather bad. But I’m sure your childhood after Oldtown was better?”

“I mean, I guess?” Juno shrugged, “One time I did beat up a kid at a ball. That was pretty fun.”

Jove laughed awkwardly, “And I’m sure some of the other children were nice?”

“Nah, most of them were assholes.” Juno joked, “Don’t tell your boss I said that.”

“I hardly think I’ll get the chance, but duly noted.” Jove smirked. “So… art school? I’m sure that’s exciting.”

“Not as much as you’d think.” He replied, “It’s mostly just theory and a bunch of dead men in bad suits whose names and works you have to memorize. Because that’s obviously what makes a great artist, right?”

“Well, I’m sure that knowing the history of your craft is interesting, no?” Jove asked.

“Oh, no, definitely. It’s just…” Juno sighed, “It’s like, these people created these amazing, gorgeous things, and they’ve managed to last longer than a hundred lifetimes. We look at their pieces and we look for all this hidden meaning, like they knew everything about their own existence… And then there’s me. How do you even begin to compare to that? How can you ever each that standard, or- Are you listening to me?”

Jove looked up from his comms, smiling. “Of course, my dear.” He replied, “Just doing some research.”

“Research, what-?” Juno grabbed Jove’s comms to see the page he’d pulled up while Juno was talking. It was his institute profile, filled with photos of sketches and paintings, a couple of him and Rita in the studio, and one of him and Buddy in the gallery. Jove leaned down, smirking.

“If you ask me, I’d say you stack up just fine.” He said, walking forward, so that Juno had to jog to catch up with him, “You know, Juno, I’m fairly certain that all of those ‘old men in bad suits’ had no idea what they were doing either.”

“I never said I had no idea-!”

“My point,” Jove continued, chuckling, “Is that your art is lovely. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be lining up to see the masterpieces of Juno Steel, artiste extraordinaire!”

Juno laughed, looping one arm through Jove’s as they weaved through the crowds as they approached the entrance of Brahma Corp. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“You know,” Jove said as he stood in front of the gates of the Brahma Corp. buildings, “It’s occurred to me that I never actually paid you for my coffee.”

  
“Eh, consider it a gift.” Juno quipped, “Or you could buy me coffee tomorrow and we’ll call it even.”

“Is that an invitation?” Jove smirked, and Juno could swear the guy was blushing.

“A pretty blatant one, yeah.” He chuckled, “You’ll meet me at the Penumbra and we’ll grab some breakfast?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jove waved as he turned to enter the Brahma Corp building, “Farewell, fair maiden,” He joked, “Until tomorrow.”

“...‘til tomorrow…”

~+~

“You’re joking!” Peter asked, incredulously as Juno laughed from behind the counter. “You really said that to the Mayor?”

“Yup.” Juno replied, popping the ‘p’ slightly. “Believe me, they did not take it well.”

“I can imagine…” Peter said, “I bet Mx. Pereyra knows how to hold a grudge?”

“Do not even get me started,” Juno called from the stove as he flipped the eggs he was making for Rita. “Pilot will call your mom a ‘paragon of civility and poise’ on live TV and then send a bunch of assassins after her within the same 24 hours. Pass me the salt?”

Peter did, “Remind me not to get on their bad side.”

“I doubt that’ll be hard.” Juno chuckled, “You work for the Ransoms, and god knows they’re all buddy-buddy with the Mayor.”

Peter winced. As much as he enjoyed Juno’s company, it was rather difficult to remember that Juno only liked Jove Desrosiers, not Peter Ransom. But, he’d enjoyed the last couple of days with Juno too much to risk it all on a dramatic reveal now.

“Well, I’m sure he has a rebellious streak somewhere.” He responded, defensively, “I mean for all you know, Peter Ransom could be some sort of secret revolutionary.”

Juno stared at him blankly for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter. 

“It’s plausible!”

“Oh my god,” Juno patted Peter on the arm as he wiped a tear from his eye. “If this whole tech thing doesn’t work out, remind me to get you into stand-up comedy.”

“Yes, yes, very funny.” Peter rolled his eyes fondly as Juno shot him a shit-eating grin, “Now, I believe you owe me some brunch?”

“Uh, no,” Juno shot back, “That was two days ago. ‘Can’t trick me into giving you free food twice, Jove.”

“Ah well,” Peter smirked, “Worth a try.”

~+~

“Favorite Food?” Jove asked, as they stepped out of the cafe two days later.

“Patrani Machi, obviously. You?”

“Yakitori,  _ obviously _ .” Jove teased, and Juno laughed.

“Ok, ok, uh… Favorite movie?”

“Definitely ‘The Moonlight Hermit’.”

“Oh hell no, you cannot seriously be telling me you preferred ‘Moonlight Hermit’ to ‘Lady of The Lake’.”

“It has its own charm!”

“The dog, Jove, think of the dog!”

“Fine, what’s your middle name?”

“Low blow…” Juno sighed, “Ardhanari. Juno Ardhanari Aurinko Steel.”

“I have to say, I love the alliteration. Mine’s Judith.”

~+~

“Well?” Juno asked after a few seconds of silence, “What do you think?”

“Juno, it’s-” Peter looked up from Juno’s comms, beaming, “It’s beautiful!”

“Yeah?” Juno smiled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “It’s meant to be like a commentary on how the rich only exist to get richer, and how they create shackles for everyone around them, including their children and-”

“Juno.” Peter repeated, laughing, “It’s perfect.”

Juno chuckled, “I’m glad you liked it. I’ve been wanting to do some more… controversial art works, outside of school, and I’m glad you agreed to help out. This is going to be big one. Now, all we need is the perfect canvas.”

“What did you have in mind?” Peter asked and Juno smirked.

“You’re already looking at it.”

“Wait, here?” Peter gasped, “Is that why you brought me out here?”

“What, you thought we just came to enjoy the view?” Juno laughed, picking up a can of spray paint. “Now, are you gonna help or not?”

“Juno, this is the Rasbach Manor, I hardly think you should be painting on private property-!”

“Does this mean you don’t wanna graffiti and maybe toilet-paper this one-percenter’s mansion?” Juno asked, cocking an eyebrow and Peter. Peter sighed.

“Just give me the can.”

~+~

“Favorite singer?”

“Definitely ‘The Crimson Maiden’.”

“Really? I thought you’d have been more of a ‘Jumper Summer’ kinda guy.”

“Juno, I swear-!”

~+~

It became something of a tradition. Every morning, Jove would drop by the Penumbra while Rita and Ben got ready for class and whatnot, he’d help Juno make breakfast, they’d grab some coffee and they’d walk into the day together. Juno had to admit, it was a nice little routine.

Juno found himself spinning around the kitchen one morning, while Jove laughed along to the music coming from his comms. He stirred the sabudana tentatively and turned to Juno.

“Am I doing it right?” He asked, and Juno smiled.

“You’re doing fine, just don’t let the khichdi burn.”

“I’m not that incompetent!”   
  


“Guilty until proven innocent!”

Jove stuck his tongue out at Juno, and he leaned on the counter as he laughed. From somewhere upstairs, Juno heard Rita calling.

“Mistah Steel, have you seen my shampoo?” Juno could’ve sworn that Jove practically dove behind the chair when he heard her.

“Yeah, it’s in the other cupboard, in the guest room.” He yelled back. “You’ll have to tell Ben to stop stealing your stuff!”

“Thanks, Mistah Steel! Say hi to ya gentlemen friend will ya?”

Juno turned to Jove and deadpanned, “Rita says hi.”

Jove chuckled nervously, turning the stove off as he pulled the khichdi out and started putting it into a few smaller bowls. “Sorry, I suppose I’m just not used to new people and all. I don’t make friends too easily.”

“You made friends with me pretty easy.” Juno replied, smirking. Jove sighed.

“Well, I suppose that was a little bit different wasn’t it?”

“How so?”

“You are quite upfront with your death threats.” Jove said after a moment, “With Ms. Rita… You never see it coming…”   
  


“It’s always the sparkly ones.” Juno added, staring at Jove for a second before they both burst into laughs again.

“So, what do you even do at Brahma Corp?” He asked as they walked down Vulcanis Way.

“Oh you know…” Jove replied, awkwardly, “I run errands for some of the higher ups, I sit in on board meetings to take notes, I occasionally help refine some of the more technical aspects of whatever new adverts or products we put out… Why do you ask?”

Juno shrugged, “I guess I just realised that I actually don’t know what you really do all day.”

  
“Well…” Jove hesitated, thinking about something for a second, before turning to Juno, “You said you have your first period off right?”

“Yeah, my teacher is sick today, why-?”

“I have something of a field-trip to make today.” Jove said, eyes glinting, “What do you say you tag along?”

Juno considered it for a second, “Oh heck, I don’t exactly have anything better to do.”

“Excellent.” Jove took his hand and they set off running down the street.

~+~

A couple minutes and layers of make-up later, Peter pulled Juno into the factory. It wasn’t too big, with only half a dozen tables and twice as many workers shuffling around assembling the latest Brahma Corp Cybernetics. Peter had managed to procure a second false-I.D for Juno as well, and slipped them onto the property with little hassle.

“Why exactly have you brought me to an Olympus Mons factory again?” Juno asked, hanging behind Peter.

“You wanted to see what I did for work.” Peter replied simply, “I’m showing you.”

“Ah, welcome!” The supervisor waved over cheerfully, “I was told to expect a visitor from the Upper Branches. Lovely to meet you, Mr…?”

“Desrosiers, but please call me Jove.” Peter shook xir hand with a smile, “And this is Mr. Bronze, he’s just here to take some notes.”

“Of course!” The supervisor, Mx. Delano, according to xir nametag, chuckled. “Welcome to Brahma Corp branch #12.B! Now, my boss told me you are here to see our new production lines?”

“Yes, would you mind terribly escorting us to your workspaces?” Peter beamed down at xem.

“But of course,” Xe led them down a narrow line of shelves to one of the work tables, “This is where we’re producing our new line of prosthetic limbs. As you can see, each of our workers are talented professionals, who have undergone the highest quality training to help create our products.”

Peter hummed in agreement as Juno leaned in to whisper to him.

“What kind of factory only has 15 people in it?”

“The Brahma Corp kind, dear.” Peter replied, “Each person here is a hand-picked candidate, of course we’re selective.”

“You really think each of these people were selected by Ransom himself?” Juno shot Peter a disdainful look.

“I know they are.” Peter cleared his throat, turning towards the youngest of the technicians. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms…?”

The young girl seemed taken aback, but smiled nonetheless. “Samira, Samira Al-Said.”

“Ah, yes, I believe I’d looked over your file a few days ago.” Peter replied, “Masters in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, no?” She nodded and Peter shook her hand. “Very impressive. It’s an honor to have you on our team.”

“It’s an honor to be here!” Samira all but squealed. “I’d heard about how I could work at Brahma as extra lab hours for a higher degree, and I mean, how could I not want to join?”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of each other in the future.” Peter gave her one last smile before looking over the prosthetic she’d been working on with her team. “This is impressive craftsmanship… Solid technical foundations, functional yet fashionable.” He looked up at one of her teammates, “Do you mind if I take a couple holofiles? I’d love to have these examined more closely at a later date?”

The techs looked at each other with glee, nodding vigorously, as the supervisor made xir way back to the table.   
  


“What’s all this?” Xe asked, “I wasn’t aware you were going to be-” Xe saw the prosthetic more closely. “Oh, for god’s sakes, how many times do I need to tell you not to meddle with the designs?”

“It was just a prototype-!” One of the techs protested, but the supervisor cut them off.

“It’s unacceptable! You’re not to mess with any of the official designs, unless the Upper Boards give you explicit permission! Next time I see you screwing around like this, I swear-!”   
  


“That’s quite enough!” Peter cut xem off with a laugh, “It’s not an issue, truly. It’s quite an innovation, to be honest, the joints would turn much more smoothly now, and the overall aesthetic works much better as a whole… I see no reason why we cannot encourage a little creativity.”

“But sir, the handbook explicitly states that-...!” The supervisor continued, trailing off when Peter cleared his throat and flipped his actual Brahma Corp I.D towards xem. “I-! My apologies, sir, I didn’t-”

“No need to apologize.” Peter replied with a smile, “I was not aware that such things were outlined in our handbooks. I’ll be set to remedy that immediately. In the meantime, I recommend that you treat your techs with a little more respect.”

He turned to the techs, “It truly was lovely meeting you all, I hope to be seeing more of you in the main tech center soon.” He waved, as Samira beamed back at him, her teammates still gaping as Peter and Juno walked away. Juno, on his part, looked utterly baffled by the whole situation.   
  


“What the hell was that?” He asked, half laughing, half gaping.

“I didn’t know that the local techs weren’t allowed to modify the prototypes.” Peter shrugged, “Now I can fix that.”

“And you’re just allowed to? Fix that?” Juno shot him an incredulous look.

“I told you,” Peter smirked, “I’m very good at my job.” Juno let out a laugh and Peter couldn’t help but smile as he did.

“I didn’t know Brahma sends their people down to check in on the techs.”

“Usually they don’t.” Peter responded, linking arms with Juno, “But every so often, Mr. Ransom likes to check up on the treatment of the new talent, especially when we have some promising new talent, Samira for example.”

“And Ransom can’t do it himself?” Juno raised, and Peter rolled his eyes, only partially exasperated.

“I’m sure he does.” He said with a smile, “But he was priorly occupied today, so I was sent to do a check in.”

“I-” Juno started, hesitating, “I guess that’s... fine or whatever.”

Peter smirked, “So? Was Brahma Corp as terrible as you expected?”

“It was…” Juno paused, “Not horrible…” He sighed, “I mean, it’s definitely better now than it was when old man Mag was in charge.” He shot Peter a joking look, “I still hate your job though.”

“Of course.” Peter smiled calmly, laughing as Juno shoved his shoulder lightly. It wasn’t a complete victory, no… But there was always tomorrow. Maybe one day, Juno could learn to be friends with Peter Ransom as well.

~+~

“Mistah Steel!” Rita whined from behind the counter, “Will you stop texting Mr. Desrosiers, and HELP ME?”

Juno looked up from his comms, glancing across the long lines of people crowded around the counter. It was rush hour, and Rita looked like she needed all the help she could get.

But, Rita had also left the stove during the mid-morning class break, so…

“Nah, I’m good.” Juno called back and Rita groaned.

“Mistah Steel!” She wailed, “You can text your boyfriend later, this is a life or death situation!”   
  


“I wasn’t texting him, he’s not my boyfriend!” Juno protested, sighing and getting up off the couch and tossing his phone onto the counter. As much as he wanted to see Cass’ cat pics, and Jove’s friends' kittens, he knew Rita would give him hell if he didn't lend a hand.

“And this isn’t a life or death situation.” He added, grabbing a cup for a customer and mixing around their drink, “This is a triple espresso shot black coffee with 3 spoons of extra sugar, caramel syrup, whipped cream and 6… energy packets…” He trailed off, shooting Rita a look. “Nevermind, this might actually be a life or death situation.”

“Told you so!” Rita said, whipping up some cream to layer on top, as Juno grabbed the caramel drizzle. “Now, you know I’m glad you’re making new friends, but you gotta focus on what’s important!”

“And what’s important is triple espresso shot black coffees with extra sugar, caramel syrup, and 6 energy packets?” Juno quipped, and Rita nodded.

“Yuh huh!” She shot him a glare, “You know how many guests I’ve had complaining that they don’t get the special breakfast?”

“That’s only for friends, I don’t give my finest cuisine to customers!” He shot back.

“Mr. Desrosiers is a customer, Mistah Steel.” Rita sighed, “Why do you even make him pay anymore?”

“It’s the concept of the thing.” Juno shrugged, “Plus it’s fun knowing that by taking money from him, I’m taking money from his boss.”

“You’re never gonna get over this Peter Ransom thing, huh?” Rita giggled.

“Nope.” Juno smirked, pouring hot chocolate sauce onto the drink in his hand, “One hot dark and white decaf mocha?”

“My point is you gotta keep your priorities straight Mistah Steel.” Rita continued, “Ever since you came back from your little field trip with the Angel, you’ve been weird.”

“Is it really so weird to try making some new friends?” Rita quirked an eyebrow at him and Juno groaned, “Yes, friends! Besides, it’s not like anyone is going to burst through the door yelling about how I’m the only one who can save them from this matter of life and death-!”

“Juno Steel!” A tall man burst in through the door, looking about frantically, “I need your help right away, you’re the only one who can save me! It’s a matter of life and death!”

Rita glared up at Juno, “You just had to jinx it didn’t you?”

~+~

“Pete-e-er.” Nova whined from the bed, “I asked you to come play with Señor Gordito because I thought you’d actually talk to me! Not just send photos to your girlfriend!”

“I am talking to you!” Peter protested, taking another picture of Señor Gordito as he waved his wittle toesy wosies. “I’m just also sending pictures to Juno. And he’s not my girlfriend!”

Nova groaned, as she rolled off the bed onto the floor next to Peter. “You’re boring.”

“ _ You’re _ boring.” He shot back, and she stuck her tongue out at her. “You’re just jealous that I actually have a social life.”

“Guilty as charged.” She replied, whining as she sat up against the bed. “We should do something fun.”

“You could throw another gala?” Peter offered, but Nova shook her head.

“And suffer through another lecture from you about how it’s an ‘exorbitant waste of resources’?”

“It is-!”

“No thanks.” She cut him off, “Besides, you didn’t even come to my last one!”

“I was busy!” Peter said, “And isn’t the whole point of a gala to hang out with other people?”

“Yeah, but what’s the point if I can’t judge those people with my best friend?” She pouted.

“Aw,” Peter cooed, “You really need to get laid huh?”

“You have no idea!” Nova whined, “I’m a hot, rich, and bisexual, it should not be this hard!”

“I guess you’re just meant to be…” Peter smirked as Nova shot him a death glare, “Bi yourself.”

“If you weren’t cute I’d have killed you years ago.” She snarled up at him.

“That’s on you for having terrible gaydar.”

“I was young and impressionable, fuck off!”

“Seriously, though,” Peter laughed as Nova punched him in the arm, “It’s been months since you broke up with Connor, and you haven’t called back that one chick in weeks. What was her name, again?”

“Cecilia Du Sancs.” Nova replied, “But like, rich people are boring!”

“Nova, you are a rich people.” Peter deadpanned, “You can hardly-” He trailed off as his comms beeped. But it wasn’t the quiet trill he heard most days, no this was the ring that came from only one place, and Peter hadn’t expected it to come at all.

“Pete?” Nova asked, “Is everything ok?”

“I- No,” He shook his head, as he leapt up, “I’m sorry Nova, I just, I think there’s an emergency down at the labs.”

“I- Ok, text me later ok? Stay safe!” She called after him as he bounded down the stairs, but Peter was only half listening. On his comms, the message still glowed bright.

_ Need your help. Penumbra. NOW. _

Peter knew he’d have to make it up to Nova sometime. It was the fourth time this month he’d ran out of their bonding time to do Angel errands, but right now he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Juno Steel needed his help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: Ardhanari is the name of Ardhanari Nateshwar, the Hindu non-binary deity that represents the entire universe. Hinduism said trans rights


	13. I think we could do it if we tried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Most cheaters put their gold and jewels in a safe hidden behind three paintings and a wall clock, but the phone numbers that could end them usually don’t get more than a rusty lock on a desk drawer." Nureyev said, "Nine times out of ten, if there's an affair going on one can find all the evidence you need in the cheater's desk.”
> 
> “And the tenth time?” Rita questioned, “How do you catch a cheater the tenth time?”
> 
> “With their pants down.” Juno and Nureyev replied at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey this chapter took forever to do, partially because I had a lot going on and partially because Prince of Mars is just my least favorite Juno episode, like ever. it just... does not vibe for me. Juno is way too mean to Rita, his whole dynamic with Alessandra Strong is weird considering what we see of them later, and idk you can just tell that the creators changed their vision for the characters immediately after.
> 
> that being said, enjoy the chapter!

Hyperion City is an … interesting little hole in the galaxy. In this town, Juno had seen it all, politicians, celebrities, interplanetary criminals, whether it was at his mom’s grand ceremonies, or Rita’s corner cafe. But that day there was an entirely different dilemma at the Penumbra: royalty.

“Look at me, Juno.” Julian DeMaggio wailed, sprawled across one of the cafe’s many tables. “No, don't! We've both gotten so old, Juno! How did we let it happen? I'd always thought... well, I thought what all young people think, that aging was just for other people.”

He might have been right about that one. Juno had last seen the guy ten years ago, back when Juno was interning with North Star, before Julian had landed the role of a lifetime as the face of Saffron Pharmaceuticals. Back then, the only title he had was "hey you," and the strongest thing he’d tried to sell Juno was a double espresso. Nearly a decade had passed, and Julian still looked bright-eyed, soft-skinned, and 22. A real achievement, given he was 35 when they’d met.

“What were we up to, in those days?” Julian continued waxing, tossing one arm over his head and nearly hitting Rita, “It feels like a lifetime ago! God, I must have been so pathetic... Was I pathetic? Tell me how pathetic I was, Juno!”

Juno was about to come up with some witty retort, maybe something about how he wasn’t into that kind of thing, or maybe how his patheticity only increased with the linear progression of time, when _he_ barged into the Penumbra.

He seemed dazed, looking frantically across the room, till his eyes fell on Juno and he heaved a sigh of relief, practically running over to his side.

“Juno!” He ran his hands over Juno’s shoulders and sides, checking for injuries. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt are you, I swear I came as soon as I could!”

“I- Y-” Rita spluttered, pointing at them, “You!”

“You?” Julian asked.

  
“You…” Juno chuckled, “I’m fine, you just… you came faster than I expected, Mr…?”

The Angel of Hyperion, Peter Nureyev, blinked, before smiling and turning to Julian and Rita. 

“Morales.” He held out a hand to Julian, “Christopher Morales.” He turned to smile at Rita. “Ms. Penumbra. Always a pleasure.”

“Ok, hold on!” Rita cried, throwing her hands up in the air, “Why are you back in my house?”

  
Nureyev gave her a perplexed look, “I- Juno called me over, said that he needed my help?”

“Oh no-!” Rita began sternly, whirling on Juno.  
  


“Oh, thank god!” Julian leapt forward and latched on to Nureyev’s waist, crying into his suit. Nureyev looked up at Juno, pleadingly, but Juno just shrugged.

“Mistah Steel, you cannot be serious!” Rita said, “You barely made it out of that last little escapade of yours, and I’m not just gonna let you fly off with him again!”

“Rita-!”

“No, Mistah Steel!” She cut him off, “Last time I let you go off with him, you got stabbed in the leg! Who knows what’ll happen this time?”

“Rita, it’s not going to be anything like last time.” Juno protested.

“If I may, Ms. Rita,” Nureyev winced under Rita’s withering glare, “I’m only here because Juno asked me for my help.” He turned to Juno, “To be entirely honest, I thought that you were in danger, and seeing as you’re not… would you mind telling me why exactly I’m here?”

Juno sighed, turning to Julian, “You wanna tell him what you told me?”

Julian sniffled, looking up at the Angel, “You know my husband?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Nureyev replied, “Anthony DiMaggio, head of Saffron Pharma.”

“Co-head, please.” Julian cut him off, “I own just as much of our company as he does, even if he refuses to act like it.”

Nureyev raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed, “Sounds like it isn't all roses and royal banquets in the Saffron throne room.”

“It never is.” Julian sighed, “I'm only angry because I love him. That's not a crime, is it? To love someone so much you think you might simply come apart at the seams and burst?” He shook his head, “But, that isn’t the point. Tony is missing. He hasn't been home in a week.”

“A missing persons case?” Nureyev turned to Juno, “Are you trying to implicate me in another murder?”

Juno opened his mouth to respond when Julian cut him off, “It isn't anything dire! His Ticker is still active; his pulse isn't raised in any way that suggests a struggle.”

Juno scoffed, “Did you really just say ‘ticker?’”

“Oh, you haven't heard?” Julian said, perking up.

“Of course, he’s heard. Now can we-?” Nureyev started.

“Bleeding-edge technology, Juno.” Julian continued, “Some poor fools over at Lannan & Sons were accused of insider trading for selling their stock before telling the public about old Lannan's most recent set of heart attacks. Tony and I decided to get ahead of the game and put R&D on the Saffron Ticker.”

“You still haven't said what it does.” Juno replied simply, and Julian laughed.

“It isn't obvious?” He said, “It reads key bio signs from whoever has it installed and puts them on a private feed for all of our stockholders to access. Oh, they're simply all the rage amongst our execs; the sense of security really makes the stock's value soar.”

“If DeMaggio had his Ticker on him, couldn’t you just use it to track him?” Nureyev asked, and Julian sighed.

“That’s the problem. Tony deactivated his tracker. For a full week now!” He groaned into his hand, “The stockholders are starting to ask questions, and so am I. That man is going to have a lot to answer for when he comes home.”

“So,” Nureyev said after a second, “You want me to bring him home, then?”

Julian gasped, “Never!”

“What?” Nureyev, Juno and Rita asked, almost simultaneously. 

“It’s his pulse, Mr. Morales.” Julian pouted, “I don't like how it looks. Very calm, and then suddenly very, _very_ active.”

“I-” Nureyev looked puzzled, glancing at Juno, who nodded. Nureyev’s eyes went wide. “Oooh, I- I think I understand. How long is he, uh, active for?”

“For hours at a time, two or three times a day.” Julian responded.

“Isn't that sort of a lot for…” Nureyev waved his hand, and Juno had to stifle a laugh. “You know?”

“Not when we were first married.” Julian said with a smirk. Nureyev’s face had gone as red as the red velvet cupcakes Rita had placed in the display case next to them, and Juno had to say; As much as he hated DeMaggio, he had to thank him for this.

“Ah.” Nureyev cleared his throat, “Well, at least you know he's still breathing. But what makes you so sure this isn't, I don't know, a kidnapping, or something? Besides his... activity, I mean.”

“His checkbook is the only other evidence I have.” Julian jumped off the table and paced across the room, “A few hundred creds spent every day for the last three days.”

“That could be anything.”

“I know exactly what that is, Mr. Morales!” Julian cried, “I was a struggling actor once, and if he's run off, I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore! He'd be a fool to run away from this.” He gestured vaguely at himself, and Nureyev went scarlet again. “But I- I just-!” Julian sniffled, before falling back onto Nureyev, sobbing as the Angel pat him awkwardly on the back.

“I just can’t believe he’d actually do it!” Julian wailed, “He loves me, I know he does, but I-, Why would he do such a thing?” Nureyev pushed him off, as Julian wiped at his eyes. “I just… I need you to bring him home, I need to know the truth. If he’s in trouble, then there’s no problem is there? And if he really has… well, then I needn’t lower myself to his level, after all, who is the public going to follow? Him, or the Saffron Prince of Mars?”

“Here's hoping we never find out.” Nureyev said, smiling as he picked up his comms. “Well, I have to say, Juno, you seem to attract as much trouble as I do.”

“You have no idea.” Juno rolled his eyes, and Nureyev chuckled. As much as Juno hated to admit it, it was nice to have Nureyev around again. Standing next to him, setting up some leads for a new adventure… It felt good. Or it would’ve, if he’d remembered about Rita a second before she burst.

“Oh, hell no!” She cried, sticking her finger in Nureyev’s face. “If you think I’m just going to let you disappear with my best friend again, you’ve got another think coming!”

“Rita, it’s just a simple search.” Juno rolled his eyes, placing a hand on her shoulder, “We’re just gonna have to go find the proof that DeMaggio was a scumbag and we’ll be done.”

“How do you know he’s not in trouble?” Rita demanded, “For all you know, Anthony DeMaggio could be a pinnacle of honor!” Juno and Nureyev glanced at each other before shooting Rita a disdainful look. “Touche, but-!”  
  


“Ms. Rita, you needn’t worry.” Nureyev cut her off with a smile, “Juno will not be in harm’s way. I have a plan you see.” He pulled up one of the tabs from his comms as a car pulled up outside the Penumbra. “Mr. DeMaggio, I’ve taken the liberty of calling your valet. Go home, and take some rest, we’ll have this all sorted by morning. As for Juno,” He turned to face Juno, handing him a small headset. “You won’t even have to leave the car.”

“Where are we headed?” Juno asked.

“DeMaggio’s office.” Nureyev said, “Most cheaters put their gold and jewels in a safe hidden behind three paintings and a wall clock, but the phone numbers that could end them usually don’t get more than a rusty lock on a desk drawer. Nine times out of ten if there's an affair going on one can find all the evidence you need in the cheater's desk.”

“And the tenth time?” Rita questioned, “How do you catch a cheater the tenth time?”

“With their pants down.” Juno and Nureyev replied at the same time, making Juno flush and Nureyev smile smugly.

“Sound safe enough for you, Rita?” Juno cleared his throat, and Rita considered it for a second.  
  


“Fine,” She huffed, “But you have to take me with you!”

“Rita-!”

“Nuh uh, Mistah Steel!” She crossed her arms defiantly, “I ain’t letting you go off on some mission without me again!” She turned to Nureyev, “Are we in agreement, Mr. Morales?”

Nureyev gaped at her for a second, before chuckling, “The more the merrier, Ms. Penumbra. I think you and I are going to get along very well…”

~+~

“So….” Peter began, but Juno cut him off.

“Don’t.”

“We’re going to have to address the elephant in the room at some point.” Peter protested, and Juno groaned.

“This wasn’t exactly a social call, Morales.” Juno drew out the name like an insult, glaring at him from the passenger seat of Rita’s car.

Peter sighed, “Look if this is going to work-”

“There is no this-!”

“I mean this case-!”

“Well, it’s not exactly complicated! I don’t see why we have to-!”  
  


“Because you called me, Juno!” Peter cried, continuing before Juno could get another word in. “I gave you my identity and my calling card, and you used it! You could’ve just ignored it, and we’d have both gone our separate ways, hell, you could’ve just called the HCPD when DeMaggio came-a-knocking, but no. You called me, and you cannot keep ignoring everything that happened!”

“I’ll do exactly what I want, thanks.” Juno shot back.

“You’re being ridiculous.” Peter groaned, and Juno let out a humorless laugh.

“I’m being ridiculous?” He glared up at Peter, “I called you for your help after you kidnapped me, lied to me for twenty-four hours, dropped a bombshell and then disappeared? I just want you to do your job, and solve this damn case, what’s so ridiculous about that?”

“You and I both know there’s more to it than that.” Peter replied, “It wasn’t an intentional lie, and it wasn’t a bombshell, it was a gift, something you’d understand, if you'd actually reached out before now, to let me explain myself properly!” Juno looked away from Peter as he spoke, “When I gave you the comms line I expected you to use for something dire, not just… not this! So if you want to pretend like you didn’t make a choice, go ahead! But you and I both know better.”

“Do I know?” Juno sneered, “Do I really know anything about you?”

“Juno,” Peter sighed, pleading, “I asked you to trust me then, and I thought you did! And I’m asking you to trust me now. I gave you my-... I gave you what you wanted, what more do I have to do?”

Juno opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a small voice piped up from the back.

“Mistah Steel, this is real interesting, and I will definitely be asking for the deets later, but can we please finish this mission?” Rita groaned, popping up in between Juno and Peter, making Peter jump back. Juno gave Peter a pointed look and he sighed as he opened the door to the car.

“With pleasure…”

The central office for Saffron Pharma was exactly what you'd expect from a little place like the DeMaggios ran. Three-story walls on all sides, land mines underneath dummy walkways, genetically engineered guard dogs that could tear you to pieces with glee. Places like that are all bark and no bite, though. If you know what to tell them, of course.

“Please state your name.” The computerized security system trilled as Peter drew near.

“Julian DiMaggio.” Peter replied with a smile.

“Please insert your keycard.” Peter did. “Thank you. Have a good evening, Saffron Prince.”

Peter had taken that key from Julian on the way out, but, as any good vigilante knows, a key only gets you inside. There was still plenty of security past the front door.

First, there were the dogs. Nasty mechanical things, but easy enough to please if you knew what to pack. Luckily, as the dogs growled, approaching him slowly, Peter had.

“Here you go,” Peter whispered, holding out a small piece of meat he’d nabbed from the Penumbra. “Yes, yes, for you!” He chuckled as the dogs tore at it, petting them lightly on the head. “There you go, dear, eat your fill, there’s a good doggie.”

“Will you quit pampering the security hounds and just knock them out already?” Juno snapped through his comms. Peter sighed.

“Of course, of course.” He drew out a single blaster, and fired 3 quick shots.

“Mistah Morales, you did not just shoot those poor doggies!” Rita cried, and Peter could see her sitting next to Juno, frantically typing on her computer, while Juno still sullenly analyzed the comms feeds.

“Not to worry, Ms. Rita,” Peter smiled, skipping over the limp bodies of the poor dogs, “They hardly felt a thing. I had set my blaster to stun.”

“You promise?”

“Of course,” He glanced up at Juno on his comms as he crossed the hall, “When have I ever broken my promises?”

“I wouldn’t take his word for it, Rita.” Juno sneered, “You never know what these hero-types have up their pockets…”

“First aid kits, you mean?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of lies and deceit, but-”

“Mistah Steel, Mistah Morales!” Rita cut them off with a glare, and even Peter couldn’t help but flinch.

“Sorry Rita.” Juno mumbled at the same time as Peter spoke.

“Apologies, Ms. Penumbra.” He cleared his throat. “Do you have the map ready?”

“Yep!” Rita said, “Let's see… How many paths are there? 

“I’d say… half a dozen?” 

“What time is it?”

“11:13.”

“Day?”

“You really need to know all this?” Juno asked.

“No, Mistah Steel,” Rita shrugged, “Unless you don’t want Mistah Morales to get blown to pieces.”

“I mean, don’t go out of your way-”

“I can still hear you!” Peter cut them off as Rita and Juno giggled through the comms. Peter had to admit, it was nice to see Juno laughing, now if only he’d laugh with Peter instead of at… Not the time. File it away, for… a later hour.

“Alright, take your third path from the left.” Rita said.

“You're sure about this?” Peter asked, and Rita gasped indignantly.

“Course I am! Now go, Mr. Morales, we ain't got all night!”

Peter wanted to believe her, he really did. It would save him a lot of pain later. But he had to be sure. So, he tossed out the steak the dogs hadn’t eaten, and watched as it exploded in a blaze of light and fire.

“Rita!” Juno cried, over the comms, “N- Morales, are you ok?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine, it was just a test.” Peter replied, taking a deep breath. “Thank you for your concern.”

“I- You- It’s-” Juno spluttered, before turning on Rita, “He wouldn't be if he listened to you!

“Mistah Steel, that ain't fair!” Rita protested, “I did exactly like you said, Mistah Morales, I swear I did! They got landmines under every square foot of that place, and the deactivated paths look different every day! On Sundays after ten if there are eight paths you're always supposed to take the third one from the left-!”

“Wait,” Juno pressed a hand to his temple, “Eight paths?”

“That's what I said, ain't it-?”

“Rita, there aren't eight paths-!”

“He said half a dozen!”

“That's six, Rita! Six!”

“A dozen is sixteen, ain't it?”

“A dozen is twelve!”

“Well, how was I supposed to know-?”

“It’s basic mathematics-!”  
  


“Would you two ladies please stop shouting and tell me where to go?” Peter cut them off, “Preferably before the security system goes off.”

There was silence on the other end of the comms for a second before Rita piped up. “Who's shoutin'?”

“I’m not shouting.” Juno added.

“Do you hear me shoutin'?”

“Might wanna get that checked, Morales.” Juno smirked, making Peter roll his eyes.

“Ms. Rita, if you don’t mind?” He sighed.

“Second one from the right.” She chirped over the comms. Peter didn't have enough time to test it, and he was out of bait. So, he took a deep breath and launched himself down the path as fast as he could. He collapsed against the wall in relief as the computerized voice rang out again.

“Good evening, Saffron Prince.”

“Mistah Morales?” Rita called, “Did ya make it?”

“I'm fine.” He cleared his throat, “You got the map of the compound ready?”

“Bringing it up now!” Peter could see her pulling up the schematics, flipping through them floor by floor. “Mistah DiMaggio's office is exactly where you'd expect it. Top floor, good view. Security should be wide open from here on out.”

Peter flew up the elevator shaft quickly, turning into the hallway Rita indicated, “I can't see anything in here…” He murmured “Do you think it's safe to turn on a few lights?”

“I wouldn't.'' Juno said, “You’ve got doors opening and closing all across the compound.” He turned to Rita, “Security guards?”

“Well, I was gonna say ghosts, but you're entitled to your opinion.” She replied, “Did you know that ghosts will always go towards fluorescent lights, Mistah Steel? Franny told me that.”

“I think that's moths, Rita.”

“Oh.”

Peter chuckled, “Well, I don’t want to risk using more of my suit than necessary, which means I can't see. You're going to have to lead.”

“You can count on me, Mr. Angel Morales Sir!” Rita gave him a little mock salute before saying; “Turn left.”

Peter did... and walked straight into a wall. 

“Left?” Juno shot Rita a look™ “You sure about that?”

“Of course I am!” She cried, indignantly, “I did the-...” She trailed off momentarily, “Turn right.” Peter smiled good naturedly.

“Thank you, Rita.” He continued down the hallway for a couple seconds until Rita shrieked.

“Stop, stop!” She flailed wildly, nearly hitting Juno in the face before pointing at one door in the hallway. “That's the one, straight ahead!”

Peter stepped into the room and gave it once over. Nothing too out of the ordinary; a desk, some cabinets, empty takeout boxes, a few pictures of DeMaggio’s family. Peter turned to the cabinets, and turned back to his comms.

“So?” He asked, smirking, “Which one's it gonna be?”

“Oh, c’mon…” Juno groaned, before replying, “20 creds it’s the third on the left.”

Peter pulled open the drawer and saw… nothing. “No luck.” He said, as Juno swore under his breath. “Ms. Rita?” He only received a mumble in response.

“Getting cold feet?” He teased.

“It just,” She said, “It don't seem right, playing games about something like this.”

“Last chance-” He started.

“I got fifty creds on the bottom right drawer!” Rita shrieked, cutting him off.

“Fifty?” Peter chuckled, “Big spender.”

“Yeah, yeah, just open the drawer!” Peter pulled it open, as Rita cooed through the comms, “Ooh, I can't take the suspense! What's in there? What is it?”

“Nothing.” Peter replied, “No steamy letters, either. Drawer's empty.”

“Aww!” She whined, as Juno laughed, “But it's always that one!

Peter opened the three other drawers, to find… “Looks like neither of us won that bet.” He mused aloud, “Have you ever heard of an executive with nothing but empty drawers?”

“That’s…” Juno muttered, “Weird, to say the least.”

“Indeed,” Peter sighed, “There’s no evidence in this office that DeMaggio was cheating on anything other than his diet. It pains me to say, but DeMaggio might be the most boring person I’ve ever-” He was cut off by the sharp echo of footsteps down the hall.

“Rita, were you watching the security feed just now?” Juno turned to his friend, as she looked down nervously.

“Uhhhh…” 

Juno groaned, pulling up the security feed, “I think you've got company, Morales.”

Peter knew he did. And he also knew what to do. It was a risk yes, and M’Tendere would definitely be asking questions later, but he had no options. He pulled off his mask, and pulled down the nanotech shield, dropping his blasters back into his suit, and letting the exterior of the suit fade to black. Just in time as well, because just then, a tall woman with dark hair and fiery eyes burst into the office.

“Oh no!” Rita cried through the comms, “Mistah Morales, get out of there! Mistah Morales? Mistah-” He cut her off with a wave of his hand as the woman sneered at him.

“So, this probably looks pretty bad.” He shot her an awkward smile, and she quirked an eyebrow at him.

“It does.”

“I can explain.”

“Can you?”

“If you give me thirty seconds to think of a good lie,” Peter quipped, “Then I’m sure I can.”

“Keep your voice down.” The woman hissed, “I don't think I need to tell you that you aren't allowed in here.” She gave him a quick once-over, “Who are you?”

“Well, I could hardly tell you that could I?” Peter chuckled, “Not unless you’d answer some questions yourself, of course.”  
  


“In your dreams.” She shot back.

“Seems like an unfair bargain.”

“Well, if you have a problem with that one,” She pulled out a blaster from her coat, “I can think of a much quicker alternative.”

“Well… that is a gun.”

“Yuh huh.”

“I think I’ll be leaving now.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Of course, I’d need you to answer some-”

She cut him off, spinning him around and sticking her gun in the small of his back, “Start walking. Now.”

“Alright, alright!” Peter sighed, “Really, is chivalry dead?”

She pushed him down the corridors in silence, her gun steady against his back, only pulling back to open the door.

“Here's the door.” She snarled, and Peter shot her his patented Ransom smile.

“It truly was a pleasure,” He added, “Just one last questi-” Before he could finish his sentence, the woman pushed him out of the door, straight onto the lawn outside, slamming the door in his face.

“Damn it!” Peter scrambled to get to his feet, pulling out the key-card, and swiping it through the scanner furiously.

“Access,” The computerized voice rang out, “Denied.”

“What do you mean, access denied?” 

“Access. Noun. Definition: a means of entry-”

“I didn’t mean the definition! That's not what I-!” He slammed one hand into the scanner.

“Denied. Verb. Past Tense. Definition: to refuse to grant something to someone-”

“Rita!” He opened up the comms channel again, watching Juno and Rita pop back up on his screen, “What’s going on here?”

“I don't know, Mistah Morales!” Rita cried, typing rapidly, “She put a hard lock on all the doors!”

“What kind of a security guard knows how to lock her own boss out?” Peter asked, and Juno shook his head.

“I don’t think she’s a security guard.” He said, “Have you ever heard of a security guard prowling around without any lights on, without carrying a flashlight, and who pulls a gun on you just so you'll keep quiet?”

“Nope.”

“That was rhetorical, Ritz.” Juno chuckled, before pausing for a second, “Her voice though… It sounded so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it…”

“Now that you bring it up…” Peter muttered, “That sounds more like a burglar.” He looked up at his comms to face Rita, “I need to get back in there. Can you find me a way back inside?”

“I'm tryin', I'm tryin'!” Rita replied.

“There’s no way you’re gonna get back in there!” Juno protested, “She saw the friggin’ Angel of Hyperion, she’s going to take precautions!”

“Ah, but that’s the thing, my dear.” Peter smirked, “She didn’t see the Angel.”

“What do you-” Juno’s eyes blew wide, “Did you show her your real face?”

“No!” Peter cried, “I just used my suit. I have a built in camouflage mask. The features it displays vary slightly, every two to three seconds, till they become completely unrecognizable. That way, when you think back on it, all you saw is a man without a face.”

“That’s… both cool and creepy.” Juno said after a second.

“She got the windows too, the vents, even the mailbox!” Rita cut in, “Mistah Morales, I don’t think there’s anyway we’re getting in that building!”

Peter sighed. “Well, I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“What? What desperate measures? Morales!” Peter ignored Juno’s questions as he pulled up a second line, one straight to the most secluded part of Ransom Manor.

“You better have a good excuse for calling me right now, mwana.” M’Tendere’s voice rang out from the line. “I have a movie night with J, and I do not want to waste my precious platonic-partner-bonding time saving cats from trees.”

“I hardly think you’ll be much worse off if you miss 20 minutes of ‘Bad Cop 7: The Good Cop Was Secretly Bad The Whole Time’, M.” Peter replied, cooly, “This should be much more your speed. I need a way to break into Saffron Pharma. I’m sending the schematics your way.”

“Wait what?” Juno cried over the other line, “You’ve had a tech whiz on hand this whole time? Why did we even go to all this trouble?”

  
“You’re heisting with civilians?” M’Tendere asked, “Wait is that…” They trailed off, before breaking into a fit of laughter. “Oh my god, you’re right, this is so much better than Bad Cop 7.”

“Yes, yes, you can make fun of me later,” Peter waved M’Tendere off, hoping Juno couldn’t see the way his face went red, “Now, the schematics?”

“Oh, I’m not done yet, loverboy.” M’Tendere cackled, “There’s only one entrance that’s open.”

“...No.”

“Yup.”

“If I find out you’re just messing with me-!” Peter groaned, and M’tendere laughed.

“You’ll fire me, yeah I know. But, I’m not that mean.”

“Ok, would someone care to let me know where we’re headed?” Juno cut in.

~+~

The sewers. Of course, it was the sewers. If Juno wasn’t so annoyed by the sound of Nureyev’s footsteps over the comms, he’d have laughed.

“Watch where you're stepping, Morales,” He smirked, as Nureyev scowled over the comms. “You're making an awful lot of noise down there.”

“If you just spent twenty minutes crawling through Tuesday's lunch, you'd be a lot louder than that, my dear.” Nureyev groaned, as he side-stepped a foul green puddle. “M, do you have a read on our friend?”

“She's in basement one now,” The mysterious M replied, “Poking around the same way you were. I’ve got readings saying she's going up and down the halls sticking her nose through every door she sees.”

“Thorough.” Nureyev mused aloud, “Must be looking for something.”

“Too bad for her she hasn’t got one of me, right?” M said, and Peter shot them an utterly disdainful look.

“I'll be sure to get you an application.” He sighed, pulling himself out of the manhole and into the Saffron building.

“So what's your guess?” Juno asked, “Cat burglar? Super spy?” 

“I doubt she's a spy.” Nureyev scoffed, “Not a good enough liar.”

“What do you mean?”

“A spy wouldn't need to pull a gun on me.” Nureyev explained, “A spy would have a whole story ready for just this occasion.”

“So… she’s just as out of her element as we are?” Juno replied, and Nureyev nodded. He looked like he was going to add something, but just then, they heard footsteps down the hall.

“Is that her?”

“Yup.” M confirmed over the line.

“Well,” Nureyev sighed, “At least there's some light down here. What's that door she's staring at”

M hesitated, “What door?” They asked, and Nureyev’s face furrowed in confusion.

“What do you mean, what door?” He replied, “It's probably the biggest one in this place.”

“...There isn’t any door on this part of the map, mwana.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, she must’ve seen him. Or heard him. Either way, their target was suddenly aware that Nureyev was following her. She cursed and broke into a jog down the hall, and… that’s when it hit Juno.

“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to find out what’s going on myself, won’t I?” Nureyev said, as Juno jumped up.

“Nu-Morales, wait!” He cried, grabbing the comms, “That’s not-, she’s-!” But it was too late. As Nureyev entered the door, the comms got cut off. Juno swore under his breath, before jumping out of the car, and running towards the same manhole that Nureyev had disappeared into 7 minutes ago.

“Mistah Steel!” Rita yelled, sticking her head out of the car’s window, “Where are you going?”

“Making sure that our Angel doesn’t get himself killed!” He called back. Nureyev would be pissed, but Juno knew firsthand, that was one P.I he didn’t want to mess with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let m'tendere and jet watch Bad Cop 7 in peace 2020


	14. please not now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Damn it!” Strong cursed under her breath, before grabbing Juno and tossing him over her shoulder, running down the hallway.
> 
> “I don't have time to kill you now!” She groaned.
> 
> “You’re not allowed to kill him!” Juno cried, “You’re not killing anyone!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, writing alessandra strong fighting nureyev: god i wish that were me...  
> my friends: ???  
> me: i don't want to kill nureyev, I just want alessandra strong to step on me  
> my friends: oh ok

Peter kept his distance behind her, as they ran through the large doors. Dark red light fell on everything like some sort of bloody velvet. She rounded a corner, then another, and another, and finally she rounded a corner into a huge, open room with a thousand lockboxes built into the walls. Peter followed her in, only to be knocked to his feet, as she pushed back against him from the doorway.

“Alright, what's your game?” The woman sneered down at him.

“Street Poker, usually.” Peter groaned, and propped himself up on one arm, only for the woman to knock him back down. 

“You know what I mean!” She spat out, “Who are you working for?”

“Well, if I told you I'd be-”   


“Alive for one.” It was then that Peter noticed the gun that the woman was holding in her right hand.

“Murder over a silly little question?” Peter smirked, “Really?”

“How about I see if I can beat a silly little answer out of you?” The woman asked with a cold smile.

She bent down, presumably to press her gun somewhere closer to Peter’s head, but he swung his leg across, just in time, and knocked her onto her back. She let out a cry of anger as she hit the ground, and leapt back towards Peter. He barely caught her in time to send them both rolling across the floor.

“Well,” He sighed with a smug smile, as he pushed her over to hover over her, “Now look who's on top.”

He was barely done gloating when she brought her knee up to meet his stomach, sending him reeling off her as she pinned him to the ground.

“Don’t get too used to it.” She replied, pulling out her blaster. 

Peter pulled out three of his own knives, and rolled away just in time to miss the back of the gun against his head. He aimed one of the knives for her sleeve, pinning her against the wall. She simply shot him a murderous look, and pulled herself off. She ran towards him, and he barely stepped aside in time. She was stronger than him, but he was faster. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t mean much, when she caught his foot as he tried to escape her grasp, pulling him down.

“Any last words?” She growled, holding her gun out ahead of her.

“I’d ask you the same.” Peter gasped under her chokehold, flipping her over onto her back, and pulling out his knife to hold against her neck. “You might want to start talking.”

The woman struggled under his grip, bringing her blaster up, nearly level with his head. It was a lose-lose game, but Peter wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

“Nu-Morales!” A voice rang out from the hall, and Peter looked up and saw the shadow of Juno Steel approach. In his shock, the woman took the opportunity to hoist him up by the neck against the wall, her blaster against his chest. “Alessandra, no!”

~+~

Alessandra froze, losing her grip on Nureyev ever so slightly.

“I-,” She breathed out, eyes blown wide in shock, “You- Juno?”

“I’m sorry, you know this woman?” Nureyev rasped out, making Alessandra push back on his neck.

“Sandra, please.” Juno begged, reaching for her arm, “I swear I’ll explain everything, but you have to let him go.”

Alessandra looked back and forth between him and Nureyev, before sighing and letting him fall to the floor. “You better have a good reason for breaking and entering a megacorp’s HQ in the middle of the night.”

Juno rushed to kneel by Nureyev’s side, running a hand over his neck to check for injuries. Nureyev smiled and put a hand on Juno’s shoulder.

“I’m alright, dear.” He cleared his throat, “Nothing M and I can’t handle.”

Juno let out a sigh of relief, before turning to Alessandra.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He shot her a reproachful look, “Weren’t you down with the flu? Or was that just an excuse to get out of work?”

“I- I was!” She replied, defensively, “And this is work!”   
  


“I thought you were taking a break from the P.I gig?” Juno asked, “What the hell are you doing here, Alessandra?”

“I got a call, ok?” She said, “I was going to call you and say I was feeling better, but I got the call, and I needed money quick. I’d spent nearly a month out, Juno! Of course I took the job!”

“You have a job!” Juno shot back, “With me! At the Penumbra!”

“Wait, Sandra’s there?” Rita called through the comms, “I thought you were still sick? That’s why Juno’s been doing double shifts without me, and the whole reason he actually made a new friend?”

“What are you talking about, Rita? We’ve already been over this!”

“I was asleep, and also it was real unclear in the previous chapters.”

“I’m not going to even ask what that was about.” Juno sighed.

“Look, I love the Penumbra, ok?” Alessandra pleaded, “It’s a great place and I love working with y’all. But I needed money quick, so when they came along offering it-!”   
  


“Who’s they?”   
  


Alessandra swallowed, looking nervous. She looked like she was going to respond, but just then a shrill ring echoed through the building, forcing Juno back on to his knees, with his hands on either side of his head.

“The hell is that?” He demanded, and Nureyev took his hand, pulling him up.

“We must’ve tripped a security alarm somewhere.” He answered, turning to Alessandra, “If we want to get out of here, I suggest you cooperate, Ms. Strong.”

She groaned, before pulling out a key card of her own. They ran down the hallway, and she swiped it across the scanner.

“Access Granted.” The computerized voice called out, “Good evening, Anthony DeMaggio.”

“You're lucky my key still works.” She said, coldly, before reaching for the scanner. “Wait, where's my key?”

“For your safety, Anthony DeMaggio. This key has been reclaimed by Saffron Pharmaceuticals Security Division.”

“What?” Both Juno and Alessandra cried.

“Wait, what did that thing just call you?” Nureyev asked. 

“Compound lockdown, commencing.”

“Damn it!” Strong cursed under her breath, before grabbing Juno and tossing him over her shoulder, running down the hallway.

  
  
“Hey!” He protested.

“Slow down!” Nureyev called, the shimmering holographic wings appearing behind him as he took off after them.

“I don't have time to kill you now!” Alessandra groaned.

“You’re not allowed to kill him!” Juno cried, “You’re not killing anyone!”

“So,” Nureyev asked calmly, flying next to Alessandra as they turned a corner, “You're working for DeMaggio?”

“Back off!” Alessandra snarled, turning to Juno, “How the hell is he-?”

“You have his key, so it seems pretty fair to assume-” Nureyev cut in, before Juno shrieked.

“Duck!” Nureyev rolled over the pipe just as Sandra slid under.

“Uh... guys?” Rita said through the comms, “I think that pipes the least of your worries.”

Alessandra nearly tripped over herself coming to a halt, and as he looked up, Juno could see what he swore were… teeth?

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me…”

~+~

“Are those… doors?” Peter gulped, staring down the large, sharp, pieces of metal that came crashing down on the hallway.

“You ever seen doors like this before?” The detective (Alessandra Strong, according to his suit’s scanner) asked, Juno still slung over her shoulder, looking just as displeased with the situation as Peter felt.

“Well, yes, but then again, I did a lot of experimenting in my youth-” Peter quipped, which earned him dirty looks from Juno and his… friend? Peter wasn’t entirely sure at this point.

“We'll just have to run for it.” She cut him off, and Juno scoffed.

“Through those?” He said, “No, I've got plans for these limbs later, I don't plan on losing them here.”

“Well, if we get stuck in here the real security division's going to do a lot worse.” She replied, “Do you have any better ideas?”

“No, but-”

“I do.” Peter interjected, “But… good ideas don't come cheap. 

“Pitch yours and we'll talk.” Strong crossed her arms over her chest, letting Juno fall to the floor.

“See that control panel down there?” Peter gestured to it, barely a speck in the distance.

“Past the dozens of closing doors, you mean?” Strong asked, incredulously, “Yeah, I do.”

“If I can hit that, will you tell me where DeMaggio is?”

“I'll take those odds,” Strong scoffed, not noticing Peter hand Juno his blaster. “It's not like the shot is even possible-” She trailed off as the blast flew across the hall, hitting the panel square in the middle. “Well, if I’d known you were going to get Juno to do it-...”

“Time to pay up, Detective Strong.” Peter smirked.

“I'm not going to stand around and chat.” Strong shot back.

“If you think you're walking away from me that easily-”

“Once we get outside,” Strong cut him off, taking Juno’s hand, “I'll tell you what I know about DeMaggio. Now shut up and let's get out of here!”

They sprinted down the hallway, M’Tendere in Peter’s ear guiding them through. By the time they managed to get outside, the sun was already rising.

“We made it.” Juno gasped, collapsing against the wall of the building.

“I'm surprised.” Strong chuckled, turning to Peter. “For a while there I didn't think you'd last.”

“What's the matter?” Peter panted, “Never had a building try to eat you before?”

“Care to give us a name?” Strong asked, “Or where you got that kind of tech?”

“Sandra…” Juno began, but she cut him off.

“Oh c’mon!” She scoffed, “You’re not even a little suspicious of this… civilian who has access to such advanced tech?”

Peter shot her a disdainful look. “If I were a civilian, he’d have every reason to be.”

Strong’s eyes blew wide as Peter’s disguise fell away, replaced by the cool mask that every politician in Hyperion had grown to despise.

“You’re-” Strong spluttered, “You’re the Angel of Hyperion.”

“I do seem to get this reaction a lot these days,” Peter smirked at Juno, who glared at him, before turning away. It seems whatever… amusement or affection that had escaped from the lady during the getaway had run out. Peter sighed. “Now, I believe you owed us some answers?”

She took a deep breath before answering. “Fine.” She said, “I don't know where DeMaggio is.”

“What?” Juno groaned.

“I don't know where he is,” Strong added, hastily, “But, I do know this, he called me three times over the last week from three different payphones across Hyperion City. Wherever the guy is, he's scared.?

“You must have more than that.” Peter mused aloud, before continuing, ”How are you getting paid?”

“Checks at specific drop-off points.”

“A few hundred creds at a time?” Peter asked.

“My rates aren't a secret, Angel,” Strong sneered, “You can look me up whenever you want.”

“That explains his checkbook, then.” Peter sighed, ?Where were those payphones? And the drop-off points?”

“Remember when I said that DeMaggio was scared?” Strong replied, and Peter nodded. “How am I supposed to know you're not the one he's scared of?”

“Probably because his husband is the one I’m searching for him on behalf of.” Peter chuckled, “Well, unless of course, Julian is the one he’s scared of.” He paused, “Wait you don’t think-”

He trailed off, as Juno’s comms began to ring, making them all jump.

“Who’s calling our lady friend at 3:56 am?” M’Tendere asked, incredulously, and Peter shrugged. Juno scrambled to grab his comms, and after a few failed attempts, Rita answered them for him.

“Juno!” Julian DeMaggio’s voice rang out from the comms, “Is that you? Please, please, please, please-!”

“Julian, slow down.” Juno cut him off, but Julian persisted, as Strong and Peter both crowded behind Juno to hear clearer.

“-Please, please, answer!” Julian cried.

“I answered,” Juno said, reassuringly, “What's the problem?” 

“Juno- Mr. Morales, I- I'm so sorry!” Julian sobbed, “I know I promised you, well, I promised a lot of things. I do that, don't I? Make you a lot of promises?”

“It’s alright, Mr. DeMaggio.” Peter tried, as Juno spoke.

“Spit it out!”

“I just can't believe, I-” Julian wailed, “Tony!” 

“You found him?” Juno asked, turning to Peter in shock.

“I did. Oh Juno, he’s-” The Prince broke down into sobs again, “He's... dead!”

“What?” Peter, Juno, Strong, and even M’tendere and Rita cried, in unison.

“You have to help me, Morales! Please!” Julian wept over the comms, “I'll pay whatever you ask!”

“Help you?” Peter repeated.

“The hell is going on there?” Juno demanded.

“Tony is-... my god, he's dead!” Julian said, taking large breaths as he spoke, “And he's here, in my, in our bed, and he wasn't just a second ago, and I don't know how he-?” He was cut off as sharp knocks rang through the comms. “No!”

“This is HCPD! Open the door!”

“Juno, help me!”

“Julian!”

“There he is!” The HCPD officer yelled, “Get him!”

“Juno!” Julian sobbed, as the officer’s grabbed him. They could vaguely hear the sounds of a struggle, before the call cut out, the line left beeping as they stood in shocked silence.

“Well,” Peter cleared his throat after a second, eyes darting nervously from Strong, to Rita and M’Tendere, to Juno, who was still glaring him down. “This is awkward.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the hcpd @ julian and nureyev: i want that twink obliterated


	15. you can hold my hand if no one's home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoosegow is the kind of place you can walk through for nearly twenty minutes before you even realize it’s a prison. It looks like a hotel to start, a weird hotel with bellhops a little broader than most, sure. But it’s got a lobby, a bar, carts for room service, televisions on every surface that’ll hold them. It’s not until you see the first camera that you know what you’re in for.
> 
> Suffice to say, Juno hated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a general warning for some violence/death this chapter, but nothing out of the ordinary for canon

Hoosegow is the kind of place you can walk through for nearly twenty minutes before you even realize it’s a prison. It looks like a hotel to start, a weird hotel with bellhops a little broader than most, sure. But it’s got a lobby, a bar, carts for room service, televisions on every surface that’ll hold them. It’s not until you see the first camera that you know what you’re in for.

Suffice to say, Juno hated it.

“Mistah Morales?” Rita piped up from her place in between Juno and Nureyev as they walked down the hall, “Why did everything just get so... gray?”

“Well,” Nureyev replied, “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because we’re in a prison.”

“Or what some entertainment exec floating over Uptown thinks a prison looks like, anyway.” Juno mumbled.

“Bars over the windows, orange jumpsuits?” Rita asked, looking from side to side. “How come an entertainment exec got to design this place?”

“See that camera over there?” Juno pointed, and Rita nodded.

“Yeah…?”

“You’re on TV now, Rita.” Juno teased, “Smile.”

“Mistah Steel!” Rita gasped and Juno laughed, “You didn’t tell me! I don’t have my face on or anything!”

“This isn’t an audition.” Juno snorted, “They don’t film horror flicks in Hoosegow.”

“I’m blowin’ my big moment here!”

Juno calmed Rita down as Nureyev dragged them to the visitation room. They watched bad TV for an hour, and still no sign of Julian. Juno sat, cross-armed, looking pointedly away from Peter Nureyev, or Morales as Rita knew him. Nureyev was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, pointedly looking away from Juno. Rita was sitting in between them, confused as ever.

“What do you think’s takin’ em so long, Mistah Morales?” Rita asked finally, and Nureyev shrugged.

“Orientation.” He said, “It takes a lot of time and signatures to sell your soul away, even in a place like this. I’m sure Mr. DeMaggio will be here soon.”

“Did someone call my name?” Julian DeMaggio appeared from behind the curtains, flanked by a pair of guards. From the way he beamed down at them, you’d never guess he’d just been arrested for his husband’s murder.

“Oh, how good it is to see you again.” He pat his knees excitedly as he sat, “Have you been to Hoosegow before? Lovely, isn’t it? I’ve been meaning to ask who designed the place but things just move so quickly-!”

“You get fifteen minutes.” The guard grumbled, “We have to get him through makeup before his big debut.”

“Oh, before you go, dear!” Julian exclaimed, reaching for the guard’s arm, “Juno, Mr. Morales, would you or your lady friend like anything? Coffee? You must want coffee!”

“I’m all right, thanks.” Juno glowered, as Nureyev and Rita shook their heads.

“Garcon, 3 coffees for my guests, please.” Julian ignored them and said, “And I’ll take a quintuple macchiato with two pumps agave and a half squirt of Valles oyster brau, easy on the seafoam, thank you, watching my figure, you know how it is.”

The guard hesitated for a second before speaking. “Four coffees. Got it.”

“You do know how Hoosegow works,” Juno asked as the guards walked away, “Don’t you?”

“Oh, they explained it all on the way in.” Julian practically beamed, “I think it’s a very generous system, all told. They keep track of your tab, so you don’t have to, and they give you employment to work it all off!”

“... They charge two hundred creds a coffee and pay three creds a day.” Nureyev said after a second, sounding equal parts incredulous and repulsed.

“I don’t see it becoming an issue.” Julian shrugged, “I’ll just pay them from my own pocket once you get me out of here.”

“Ah yes, we should get to it.” Nureyev cleared his throat.

“Got your pen, Rita?” Juno asked, and Rita nodded.

  
“All right, Julian.” Nureyev leaned forward, “I’ve quite a lot to ask you and I’m willing to bet you already know what most of my questions are, so let’s save some time here. Tell me what I need to know.”

“I didn’t kill Tony.” Julian said, quickly.

“Yes, but how are you going to prove that?” Nureyev asked.

“Well…” Julian hesitated, sheepish, “That’s really your job, isn’t it?”

“He’s got you there, Mr. Morales.”

“Thank you for the notice, Rita.”

  
“No problem.”

“What happened?” Juno cut in, “How did you find his body?”

“Oh Juno, it was so horrible…” Julian shuddered, “I don’t know if I can…”

“Eleven minutes.” Nureyev reminded him, and Julian took a deep breath.

“I was in bed. Our bed. I was asleep, dreaming about... It doesn’t matter. I was awoken by this incredible noise. Screaming air, like a tornado touched down in our bedroom. And then the light! A blinding red light, that became brighter, and brighter, and brighter, until it hurt me even when my eyes were closed. I buried my face in the bed. I thought I was going to die.”

“And then?” Nureyev inquired, and Julian shook his head.

“And then it was over. In an instant.” He sighed, “When I looked out the room was dark again... but not quiet. Tony. He was in the bed, moaning, rasping... A knife sticking out of him... The sheets were wet with blood... He called for me.”

“Wait, he was  _ alive? _ ” Juno exclaimed, eyes blowing wide.

“For a moment, yes.” Julian’s shoulders sagged as he leaned back in his chair.

“You didn’t touch him, did you?” Juno asked, shooting Nureyev a nervous look. His responding glance was all the confirmation Juno needed. This case was getting messier every second.

“He called for me, Juno!” Julian cried, “He was alive! He was inches away. By the time I thought about it my hands were… I was trying to keep him alive. You don’t blame me, do you? It was terribly stupid, wasn’t it?”

“Stupid, yeah. But I don’t blame you.” Juno found his gaze flitting back to Nureyev, and to his horror, saw him staring back. He cleared his throat, turning to Rita.

“You get all that, Rita?”

“You betcha.” Rita winked up at Juno, and he let out a small smile.

“Are you even writing any of this down?” Julian scoffed, turning to Nureyev, “Her pen is hardly moving!”

“Course I am!” Rita cried, sticking her notepad out for Julian and Nureyev to see. “Here, see?”

“I don’t think that’s a good-” Juno started, but Julian was already examining Rita’s ‘notes’

“This…” He took a deep breath, “This is a drawing of a horse.”

“Pretty good, ain’t it?” Rita smiled proudly.

“Juno… dear.” Nureyev whispered, leaning over Rita, “I trust you more than most with this case, but…?”

“Mind reading back those notes, Rita?” Juno smirked, leaning back in his seat. Rita snatched her notes back and began her list.

“Sleeping last night, dreaming about Mr. DeMaggio, when at around four in the morning you heard a tornado in your bedroom that woke you up.” Rita recited, “Big red light, husband went poof and appeared in your bed, died in your arms, you called Juno, police arrived during the call.”

“I-” Julian spluttered, as Nureyev nodded solemnly. “How?”

“Don’t even ask.” Juno said smugly.

“How did you know…?” Julian gaped, and Rita beamed.

“Well! The horse’s eyes look just like Lawrence Fatima’s eyes on ‘Martian Medical’, and they just had a story where his wife died, not in his arms but under a bus, but that’s why the horse’s tail looks like-!”

“I think he gets the idea.” Juno teased, and Rita blushed. Julian still looked flabbergasted, but Nureyev shrugged.

“It made sense to me.” He offered, and Juno rolled his eyes.

“Well, Mr. DeMaggio.” Nureyev leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees, “I just have one more question for you, and I’m afraid we’ve got no time for you to dance around it.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want, Mr. Morales!” Julian beamed I’ll never question you again!

“What is this?” Juno watched as Nureyev pulled something out of his back pocket, a small Martian crystal of some sort, faintly glowing red under the harsh prison lights. Julian visibly blanched.

“Oh…”

“Wha- Where did you get that?” Juno asked, scooting over Rita to sit next to Nureyev, taking the crystal out of his hands and holding it up to the light. The light reflected slightly off each edge, sending out a wave of different, impossible, colors as it did.

“Nicked it out of your… friend’s pocket while she was fussing over you and Rita.” Nureyev replied, frowning. Juno shot him a disdainful look, and he could hear Rita’s hushed giggles behind him.

“Well, I’m sure Alessandra,” Juno glared, “Had a good reason for taking it in the first place.” He turned on Julian, who looked sheepish. “Spill.”

“Are you sure this is… absolutely necessary?” He hissed, glancing nervously at the cameras. “I don’t see how it’s related.”

“Neither do I.” Juno quipped, “That’s why you’re going to explain.”

“Five minutes.” Nureyev trilled, glancing at Julian meaningfully. The Prince of Mars sighed and shook his head.

“Well... all right. But we’ll have to keep it down.” He said, You’ve seen my commercials, haven’t you?”

“Once or twice.” Juno said, as Nureyev responded with “Not that I’m aware of.” and Rita chimed, “Thrice everyday, it does wonders for my complexion!”

“Do you remember what we say about our products? That they’re ancient Martian?” Julian whispered, leaning in close, “That they come from my... people? Well…  _ I’m not really a Martian _ .

Rita, Juno and Nureyev all looked back and forth at one another, not entirely sure how to react.

“No!” Nureyev gasped, eyes widening in fake shock, his tone giving him away to everyone except Julian. “I’d never-!”

“I’m betting the product isn’t, either.” Juno cut him off.

“I- I’m so ashamed, but… it isn’t!” Julian wailed, “And it never has been!”

“And... What does that have to do with this thing?” Nureyev asked, looking uncertainly back and forth between the pill, Julian and Juno.

“Well, when we were digging out the foundation for our new factory, and somebody found  _ that _ . And, this one is  _ real _ !”

“Real what?” Juno replied.

“Real Martian medicine! Thousands upon thousands of years old!” Julian answered, all his theatricality gone.

Rita let out a dramatic gasp, and Nureyev looked like someone had slapped him across the face with a fish.

“This thing?” Juno scoffed, “It looks like a rock. A nice rock, but still…”

“We don’t know much about it.” Julian explained, “We know you’re supposed to swallow it. We know, well, vaguely know, what it does.”

“Which is?” Juno asked, impatient.

“It’s an intense sensory stimulant.” Julian said, “We already have some of those on the market. The specifics are beyond me, to be completely honest, but I’ve been told it particularly excites portions of the brain in charge of interpreting electromagnetic frequencies. Specifically, frequencies quite similar to those of the neurons in our brains.”

“Oh! I get it!” Rita cried, “So, if you took this you could  _ read your own mind? _ ”

“That’s very, very close, dear!” Julian replied, good naturedly.

“You think whoever swallows this thing will be able to read the brainwaves of people around them.” Nureyev muttered, frowning, and Juno didn’t know whether he was talking to Julian or himself.

“That is much closer!” Julian shrugged, “To what we’re guessing, anyway.”

“Well, have you tested it?” Juno said.

“How could we?” Julian answered, “ This is the only one we’ve found. If we test it, we’ll lose it forever.”

“Then how do you even know what it does?” Juno demanded.

“We had one of our best working on it... for a while.” Julian admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Juno froze and took a deep breath. “You’re gonna need to run that by me one more time.”

“Tony and I disagree…” He paused, looking pained. Julian swallowed his tears and continued. “We disagreed about what to do with this, once we found out what it did. He wanted to lock it away, to destroy it, if necessary.”

“More responsible than I’d expect from a corporate bigwig.” Juno scoffed, “Most would mass-produce it, sell it, and watch the world burn from on top of their pile of money. What did you want to do?”

“Well…” Julian sounded sheepish, “Mass-produce and sell it.”

“... Ah.”

“You sound just like Tony did. The world burning!” Julian chuckled, sadly, “This could really help people! Just imagine, Juno, if you understand what your enemy is thinking, how he feels, there’s no more war. There’s no more argument! Imagine how much easier it is to find the ones you love, to understand those you don’t!” He looked at his trembling hands, his gaze wistful. “Or... to know what your loved ones are thinking. Where they’re going.”

Juno sighed. “That’s a pretty idea, Julian. Wish I could think it, too.”

Before he could say anything else, a guard burst through the curtains, reaching for Julian.

“All right, time’s up.” He grumbled, “Back to your cell, DeMaggio.”

“Does anyone else know about this…” Juno hesitated, “Thing?”

“Doctor Strauss! Doctor Lillian Strauss!” Julian replied, “Look her up in our directory; she’ll tell you everything you need to know!”

“Let’s go!” The guard said gruffly, dragging Julian away by the scruff of his neck.

“Juno!” Julian whined, “Help me!”

“It’ll be alright, Julian.” Juno nudged Nureyev gently in the shoulder. The man was uncharacteristically still, his gaze and unblinking and cold against the wall ahead of him. “We did it before, didn’t we?”

Nureyev startled slightly, before sighing. “Here’s hoping I can do it again.”

Juno wanted to press, to see if Nureyev was ok. But the look in his eyes, that dawning sense of unrest, it made Juno feel… Besides, if Nureyev thought Juno would just forgive and forget that easy, he had another think coming. “You get all that, Rita?”

“Course I did.” Rita beamed.

Juno laughed softly, wrapping one arm around hers, and leading her and Nureyev out the glass doors. “Let’s get out of here before one of the guards decides we’re on the wrong side of the glass.”

~+~

“What a story, huh boss? The Prince of Mars! An indoor tornado! A murdered exec!” Rita chirped excitedly to Juno as they walked into the sunlight.

“Yeah, it’s real exciting.” Juno smiled softly, but Peter wasn’t paying enough attention. A Martian pill. A Martian Mask, a Martian Throne, a Martian… weapon.

“What do you think…?”

Peter’s head was spinning. He was sure these dots connected somehow, but it was just beyond his-

“Oh I know!” Rita exclaimed, snapping Peter out of his trance. “A teleporter! The bad guys stabbed Mista DeMaggio, then teleported him into his own bed! It’s just like in that movie I saw, Mista Steel, it’s called  _ Any Teleport In a Storm _ and there are these smugglers and there’s a war and refugees and well I couldn’t follow that part but there was this one who-!”

Juno laughed, not unkindly. “Teleporters? Seriously?”

“Of course, teleporters!” Rita The Prince just said that Mista DeMaggio-!”

“I know what he said.” Juno cut her off, “But you can’t believe everything you hear from people like Julian, Rita; his memory could turn a rude cashier into a pickpocketing robot who eats quarter-creds and goes “Cha-ching!” when he swallows.”

“But he  _ teleported, _ boss!”

Juno chuckled, turning to Peter. “What do you think, Morales?”He said the alias as if it was some kind of insult. To him it may as well have been.

“Hmm?” Peter hummed, earning him disdainful looks from Juno and Rita. He cleared his throat. “Oh, I’m afraid teleporters are for science fiction stories, Rita. People have been trying to get a teleporter to work for thousands of years, but they’ve never gotten any further than shooting a mouse across the room and turning him inside-out.”

“If you’re so smart, what do you think happened?” Juno asked.

Peter hesitated, “I think DeMaggio really was stabbed before he ended up in his bed.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully, “That’s the clue. If we find out how he got in that bed, we’ll prove that Julian is innocent. “

“How did he, then?” Rita piped up and Peter shrugged.

  
  


“No idea.” Juno groaned, but Peter continued, “But I do have a plan, two of them, in fact.” He tapped his earpiece and M’tendere appeared in hologram form in front of them. “M, I need you and Miss. Rita to do some reading up on Saffron Pharmaceuticals, their competitors especially.”

“Really?” M’Tendere sounded incredulous. Even under the camouflage Peter could tell they were giving him the stink eye. “This seems like petty rivalry to you?”

“Best to be safe.” Peter replied, “Even with the Christmas lights and hurricanes this still smells like your typical corporate warfare to me.

“And the second plan?” Rita asked, and Peter sighed.

“I’m willing to bet she’s waiting for us outside.”

“Wha-?” Juno started, but stopped short as they pulled up to the car. “Oh.”

“Angel.” Alessandra sneered and Peter smiled calmly.

“Detective Strong.” He cocked his head mockingly, “And here I thought you were headed home. Something about ‘never wanting to see my stupid, smug face again, especially around your friends’?”

The detective scoffed. “Charming.” She nodded towards M’Tendere on the screen. “Mind sending your babysitter home? I came here for business.”

“Trust me, M is my business.” Peter said, “I’ve been trying to make them someone else’s for years now, but it never takes.”

“Aww, mwana!” M cooed, “You say the sweetest things.”

“You have something that belongs to me.” Alessandra glared him down.

“I’ve got something that belongs to a dead man, if that’s what you mean.” Peter replied innocently.

“He was my client.”

“Not anymore.” Peter pushed past her to lean against Juno’s car. “You get paid?”

“Of course not.”

“I understand your concern then.”

“A guy calls you up three times over the course of a week, in a panic, asking you to get him something from his office. He sets you up for the easiest job going: gets you a key, a map, everything you need. And the day you agree to go get it, he shows up dead.” Alessandra frowned, “That doesn’t sound suspicious to you?”

“It does,” Peter replied, “But in my experience, clients can get very creative if it means skipping a bill.”

“Here’s how I read it:” Strong continued, “Someone really didn’t want DeMaggio to get his hands on that pill you’ve got there. I plan to find out who.”

“I do hate to break it to you, but I don’t think DeMaggio’s going to be paying you from where he’s gone.” Peter quipped and the detective shit him a glare.

“This isn’t about a paycheck.” She retorted.

“Good.” Peter smirked, “Then there’s hope for you yet.” He held open the car door for Strong and turned to M’Tendere. “M, if you could be a dear and call Ms. Penumbra and Mr. Steel a cab?”

Immediately, came the sounds of protest.

“Mistah Morales!”

  
“Oh hell no-!”   
  


“I’m sorry, ladies.” He smiled languidly, “But the detective and I do need to borrow your car.”

“And why would I get into a car with you?” Alessandra demanded.

“Because I’ve got a lead on the only person outside of Hoosegow that knows about that pill.” Peter replied simply.

She hesitated for a second, before squeezing her eyes shut and groaning. “Fine.”

“Oh, there’s no way in hell that I’m letting you in my car alone!” Juno balked, “Especially when you two are acting like children, or… sewer rabbits twenty seconds away from tearing each other’s heads off!”

“Very well then.” Peter sighed. “Just a cab for one then, I suppose.”

“You got it, kiddo.” M hummed, as Rita spluttered.

“Hey, wait just a minute!” By the time she’d gotten herself together, the three of them were already speeding off into the horizon.

~+~

“So, Angel?” Sandra asked, “Where we headed?” Nureyev ignored her and her face fell back into that frown that would turn anyone else into a pile of jelly. “Seriously.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a fool, Detective.” Nureyev hummed, “If I say where, that gun comes out of your pockets and then the pill comes out of mine.”

“You’ve been doing this for a while, then.” Alessandra almost sounded impressed.

“So have you.” Nureyv replied, “Clearly. That’s why I don’t trust you.”

She chuckled, before asking, “So how’d you even know Junebug in the first place?”

Juno froze and looked at Nureyev in a panic. He just shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road and said, “He helped me with a case. I owed him a favor.” He turned to look at Alessandra, “And what about you?”

“I work shifts with him sometimes back at the Penumbra.” Alessandra smirked, “Plus we used to date for a while.”

The tires screeched as Nureyev turned abruptly. He looked like he wanted to throw up. “I’m sorry, what?”

“It was years ago, Sandra.” Juno hissed, hoping he wasn’t blushing.

“He asked!”

“I most certainly did not-!”   
  


“Will you just watch the road?” Juno shrieked, reaching over Nureyev to turn the car just in time to avoid colliding with a pedestrian. “Look, I know you’re both still on edge from the whole-”

“Breaking and entering?” Sandra offered.

“Attempted murder?” Nureyev countered.

“-That.” Juno rolled his eyes, “But we don’t have time for you to squabble! So just, get us to Strauss’ place and let’s get this over with.”

There were murmurs and grunts of protests, but before Juno could press further, they pulled up at the apartment building where Lillian Strauss was supposed to be found. Sandra hopped out quickly and made her way to the entrance, while Nureyev held the door open for Juno, giving him his hand while he stepped out.

“Junebug?” He asked, sounding half incredulous, half annoyed. “Really?”   
  


“Oh shut up.”

“Hello? Anyone home?” Alessandra pounded on the door.” We’re looking for a Doctor Lillian Strauss!

“What a strange turn of events that didn’t work, Detective.” Nureyev said snidely, “Tell me, do people usually respond well to you shouting down their doors like that?”

“No, but this works all right.” Sandra smirked, pulling out her blaster and shooting clean through the lock.

“Must you leave a mess behind everywhere you go?” Nureyev sighed as they stepped into the house.

“‘Clients pay all expenses’ is right there in the invoice, Angel.” Sandra replied, “I don’t usually take advantage of it, but if the client’s got Saffron levels of money you might as well.” Juno plopped down onto the couch and she shot him a look, “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for Strauss. What’s it look like?”

“Like you’ve got your feet up on her computer.” Sandra poked him the head and Juno laughed.

“That’s what that is?” Juno quipped and Sandra chuckled.

“Some place she’s got…” She said, walking over to the window, “Forty-fifth floor, ten-foot ceilings... hell of a view. Come take a look.”

Juno made his way over to Sandra and looked out the window. “Pretty hotel across the street, little park down there…” He mumbled, “Nice view.” He noticed Alessandra was smirking at him. “Oh, what?”

“Nothing!” Sandra she teased, “It’s just, last I remember you were afraid of heights.

Nureyev froze on the other side of the room and Juno cleared his throat awkwardly. “I- Well, adapt to survive?”

Alessandra snickered and Juno could hear Nureyev cursing under his breath. Something about; “Of all the lousy PIs in this town to get stuck with…” Nureyev cleared his throat, opening a door to the next half of the house.

“Lots of rooms here, too. We could be searching this place for a while.” He opened a couple cupboards, and Juno walked over to the doorway to get a better look. “Kitchen... even the takeout containers are bigger in this part of town. And there do seem to be quite a lot of them… Bathroom, hallway, and that’s a…” Nureyev paused. “I have no idea what that is.”

“Careful where you poke around, Morales.” Juno warned. “We don’t want to find something you’ll wish you didn’t.”

“I’ll be-” Nureyev paused and Juno’s heart froze. “...Hello.”

“How did you get in here?” A gruff voice demanded. They stopped, sniffing the air around Nureyev. “What’s burning?”

“The door.” Nureyev replied with a smile, and Juno had never wanted to strangle him more.

“Burglars!” The person in the suit cried. “Brigands! You’ve no right to be in here!”

“And you do?” Juno demanded, “What’s your story?”

“I’m the Doctor’s valet.” They puffed up their chest, crossing their arms as they glared down at Juno. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“We’re-” Sandra began but Nureyev cut her off.

“- Auditors!” He beamed, “Auditors, working for Saffron Pharma. We’re here about your boss.”

“Well, you can go audit somewhere else, then.” The valet huffed. “Doctor Strauss isn’t home.”

“I think we’ll stay.” Nureyev said, sitting down elegantly on the couch. “This is a nice chair. And seeing as it might be mine in a minute, I don’t see any reason to get out of it.”

“We got a tip that the good Doctor might be dipping into the Saffron coffers for personal use.” Sandra added, “We’re just checking in.”

“Well, you’ll find nothing untoward here.” The valet responded, “I file the Doctor’s receipts myself. I keep track of every expenditure, from her toilet paper to that priceless jade comb your friend is picking his teeth with.”

Nureyev pulled the comb back to examine it. “You don’t say.”

“I do. Now,” The valet turned on Juno, “Do you have a warrant to search this apartment?”

“Well shucks, no.” Juno chuckled, “Musta left it back at the office. Alessandra?”

She shrugged, “My pockets are empty.”

“Then the law clearly states that you must leave, does it not?”

“It does.” Nureyev said, getting up to walk towards the others.

“Only it’s a long drive just for one little sheet of paper.” Juno shot the valet a bright smile and pleading eyes. Somewhere in the corner, Nureyev tripped over his feet. “It seems like such a waste, and, I mean, it’s not like I’d lie to you. What if I just read a few of the lady’s expenditures to you? If you’ve got receipts-”

“I have receipts.” The valet huffed, although their cheeks had gone pink. “What I don’t have, ma’am, is time.”

“Sounds like we’re ready to do business, then.” Juno said.

“If I find your receipts, will you go quietly?” The valet sighed.

“He never goes quietly.” Sandra quipped.

“But he will go.” Nureyev added.

“All right, let me just pull ‘em up…” Juno fiddled with his comms, pretending to pull up some kind of list. “There we go. Last Friday. Bunch of expenses for what looks like a party in here. Liquor, hors d’oeuvres, a bill for some place called ‘Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley.’”

“I recall the mess, yes.” The valet replied. “And I wrote those checks myself. I’ll find the records for you.”

“And while you’re back there,” Alessandra called after them, “see if you can find any customer receipts from Carbonella’s. Fancy Indonesian place, you know the one. Looks like Strauss’s run up a six-hundred-cred bill there every night for the last week.”

“My, this is a thorough investigation, isn’t it?” The valet remarked, their back turned to the three of them.

“You have no idea.” Juno chuckled, watching Nureyev draw up behind them.

“Now, do you have any other useless questions, or may I find those receipts for you?” The valet asked.

“Only the one.” Nureyev smirked, his teeth glinting in the dim light, “Where would you like your bullet?”

~+~

The ‘valet’ barely had a chance to cry out before Peter got them in the chest. He watched as their eyes blew wide, and they fell to the ground.

“That was on stun, right?” Juno asked, walking to stand next to him.

“I’m not a murderer.”

Juno gave him an unimpressed look. “I don’t care what you are. Just thought you’d want to talk to him later.”

  
  


“What tipped you off that they weren't really a valet?” Strong asked and Peter smiled smugly.

“Well, for one, we practically begged them to call the cops and they didn’t even look at the phone.” He replied, “Not to mention a woman running secret experiments out of her apartment isn’t going to hold parties in her living-room-slash-secret-lab.”

“... and with all those boxes in the kitchen I don’t think she’s eaten anything outside of a takeout container in months.” Strong leaned down and rifled through that ‘valet’s’ pockets.

“What are you doing?” Juno asked.

“Looking for some kind of…” She stuck her tongue out, before jumping up. “There. His phone.”

“Well, what’s on-?” Juno began to ask, but was abruptly cut off by shrill muffled screaming. Juno sighed. “There’s always something, isn’t there?”

Peter shot him an apologetic look, before dragging him down the hall. “Come on.” He opened the door tentatively and saw a tall lady taped to a chair, her hair a mess and her face streaked red. She was struggling against her bonds, and Junoshivered next to Peter.

“That looks like our Doctor.” He gulped.

“Taped to the chair…” Peter muttered, “Looks beat up pretty badly. And with all the equipment scattered around here… this looks like an interrogation. Better not get too close.” He warned.

“How are we supposed to get her free, then?” Strong scoffed, “Encouragement? Maybe sing a song?”

“In high-profile cases like this they sometimes account for interruptions.” Peter sighed, as Struass continued screaming in front of them. “She might be... booby-trapped.”

“She’s tied up, Morales,” Juno reprimanded, “Not deaf.”

Peter smiled. “Don’t worry, Doctor! Just stay still and you’ll be out in no time.” He turned to whisper to Juno, “We’ll just check the area around her for any surprises, all right? Be careful.”

“When am I not?” Juno quipped and Peter chuckled. Strong rolled her eyes, and leaned down to examine the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Peter could see something glinting.

“Hey, Sandra.” Juno began, uncertain. “In the hotel window over there. Does that look like a-?”

“Not now, Juno.” She cut him off.

“Really, it looks like a camera-!” Juno’s eyes widened in horror as he realized what it was. He looked like he was going to reach for Strong, but Peter moved first.

“Get down!” He yelled, as he leapt at the detective, sending them rolling across the floor. It was a second that lasted a thousand years. He saw the flash of a laser scope from one of the windows across the street. As Strong hit the floor, the bolt hit the window. The glass came down slowly, like shimmering snow. Juno covered his face, and Peter heard the thud.

“Get the hell off me!” She cried, shoving her elbow into Peter’s face.

“Strauss!” He groaned, “I’ll check her out. Take cover.” He practically ran over to the hunched body, pressing his fingers to her wrist, trying to find a pulse, but… He reeled back, falling on his heels. “She’s... dead.” In the corner, Juno slowly stepped out of the shadows and kneeled next to Peter, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I hear a trillion volts to the brain’ll do that.” Strong sneered, and Juno shot her a disdainful look.

“Cool it.” He said, “He didn’t kill her.”

“I could’ve saved her…” Peter muttered under his breath. Dr. Strauss was a civilian, there was no need for her to die. She only did because Peter couldn’t move fast enough. And if what Peter was beginning to think this was all about was true… then her blood was on his hands. Strong pointed at him accusatorily.

“He could’ve saved her!”

“The bolt was aimed at you.” Juno replied and Strong went still.

“...Oh.” She said, finally. She looked down at Peter, as if to really look at him for the first time. He did not like what he saw reflected. Was it regret? Pity. Either way, Peter had neither the time nor the interest to dwell on it. Maybe at a later date. For future consideration.

“Don’t think too hard about it.” He cleared his throat, shrugging Juno off and ignoring the hurt that flashed across his face. “You were right about the trap, Alessandra, just not where they put it. They set up a sniper across the street-” He trailed off as a beam darted through the glass. “... And it looks like they know we’re still kicking.”

Strong smirked, “Let’s kick a little harder, then.” Now, this was a detective Peter could work with. Strong lifted her gun and lined up two shots. Both went wide. Somewhere in the distance, a pigeon squawked for the last time. Peter would pay for it’s funeral.

“Some shooting, Strong.” Juno remarked snidely.

“Can it.”

“No, no, you really taught that cloud a lesson.” Juno laughed as Alessandra shoved him with her shoulder.

“Think you’re any better?” Juno took her gun and cocked it.

“I-,” He turned to Peter, “We’ll pin our guardian angel over there.” He said. He turned back to Strong. “You look through Strauss’s papers.”

“For what?” She asked.

“We’re not leaving empty-handed.” Peter replied, “A name, an address. Whatever you can get.”

“They’re not just going to let us sit here and shoot back, Angel.” She grunted, pressing her back to the wall as they heard the shots coming. “We can expect a house call any minute now.”

Peter pushed Juno back to the wall beside him, as two blasts ricocheted off the glass. “You’ll have to move quickly, then.” He said, and Strong groaned.

“Fine.” Strong set off across the room, rifling through drawers, desks, anything she could find. Peter gave Juno cover while he called up Rita and M’Tendere

“Rita, we’re gonna need a ride. Lillian Strauss’s place. Elysium Memorial Square. Look her up.”

“But, you took the car!” Rita’s voice rang out through the comms.

“We’ll find one of our own!” M answered and Rita made several sounds of protest.

“But why do you need-!” She got cut off as the line was dropped, and in the distance, Peer could hear rifle shots.

“Can’t you get rid of them?” Strong yelled over the noise.

“I only have my laser pistol, not a sniper rifle!” Peter called back, “If I had something a little bigger I might be able to-” He was cut off as Strong chucked a large rifle at him. “Quite a find. Does she keep a lot of military-grade rifles in her sock drawer?”

“Just that one.” Strong chuckled, “Strauss was rich, scared, and short. Guarantees something at least that big. I’m just surprised I didn’t find it under her pillow.”

“Sounds like you’re talking from experience.” Peter smirked, “You know a lot of short, scared people?” They exchanged knowing looks and Juno punched him in the arm, making them both laugh.

“Came with the territory, where I used to work.” Strong replied.

“Ex-HCPD?” Peter asked.

“Ex-military.” Strong responded. “Now, you gonna stop kidding around and deal with our problem out there?”

Peter paused holding the gun out to Juno, but he shook his head. Peter supposed that Juno probably wasn’t over what happened last time the Angel handed him a gun. He drew up the shot, aligning himself with the figure in the window and-

“Done.” The shot rang out across the street and the figures fell to the floor.

“...Really?” Strong sounded uncertain.

“Really.” Peter replied, “Find anything?”

“Grabbed a folder of test results from her desk,” Strong slid over to stand next to him and Juno. “But I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

“Nothing labeled “secret enemies?” Juno asked, half-teasing, but Strong shook her head.

“Afraid not. If you can buy me twenty minutes I should be able to get into her computer and look through her messages-” She was cut by a sharp slam on the door. “...What was that?”

“Someone’s at the door.” Peter mumbled.

“You want to get it, or should I?” Juno quipped as a gunshot rang out in the distance, making them all jump.

“How’s that ride looking?” Strong demanded and Peter smiled nervously.

“Let’s find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't you just love when your ex and your will-they-won't-they superhero bf bond over guns and bullying you?

**Author's Note:**

> come yell about the penumbra with me on Tumblr! I'm @ vespaaurinkos


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